A new video game, Pet Pals: New Leash on Life by Legacy Interactive Games, donates part of their funds to the Humane Society of the United States. Various reviews of the game play have been cropping up, and it appears to be a message to would-be veterinarians. Teaching kids to take notice of the welfare of animals and giving them a little bit more familiarity with the veterinary profession.
If only in a virtual sense.
In the game, the player takes on the role of a caretaker for various animals, and as the animals are healed, trained, and adopted, the player receives new responsibilities. The parts of Pet Pals that don’t involve sterilized cutlery center on playing with the animals, giving them attention, and teaching them how to love again. Awww.
Pet Pals: A New Leash on Life is a sponsored game, and shows it. The graphics are simple 3d, the sound and voice samples cheap, and the file size is huge — almost a gig. Still, a portion of the proceeds go to the Humane Society, and it’s another step forward in virtual education.