Maiev Shadowsong said:
Besides, I never said I was against consuming or using non-human animal products. That's simply a failed assumption on your part. I said if you can't stomach it, you shouldn't be allowed to use it. The maddening hypocrisy of it drives me up the wall. These people will happily consume any number of meats, but gasp in horror at the thought of killing an animal themselves - unless it's via paying someone else do it. *eyeroll*
You seem to be making quite a few failed assumptions yourself, especially considering this thread is supposed to be about a video game.
I think the reasoning behind why they "gasp in horror at the thought of killing and animal themselves" is more important than the simple fact of it happening. If people are going to say "Oh no, I couldn't kill that cute little calf" while munching down on a hamburger, then sure, fire away at their "hypocrisy". But there are quite a few reasons I wouldn't be able to stomach killing, say, a cow or chicken or pig. One, I'm an inherent mysophobe. I absolutely despise and actively try to avoid anything that will cause parts of my body to be potentially splattered with disgusting bits of fluids, grime, dirt, etc. Two, I have no training or skill in the area in question. Why the hell would I want to put an animal through the torture of me clumsily trying to hack away at its neck or whatever when somebody else could give it a quick, mostly painless death? This also extends to the fact that I wouldn't be able to properly skin, gut, or portion the animal afterward. Sure, I don't care to learn, but it's not out of some sanctimonious feeling of superiority because I'm doing animals across the world good by not slaughtering them. It's because I don't like physical labor when it
doesn't involve walking through animal feces and running your hands through animal guts all day long.
Granted, I'm not somebody who has an issue with killing the animals in games, though I don't often seek it out myself unless it's part of a required game mechanic. But there can be a wide canyon of difference between "I don't want to kill an animal" and 'hypocrite'.