CREDIT: YouTube/Jon

"Pokemon X and Y" has become so popular that it has even spawned parody games from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) called "PETA's Pokemon Black and Blue: Gotta Free 'Em All!" and "Pokemon Red, White and Blue: An Unofficial PETA Parody." The parody games from PETA were made and released to the public as part of an awareness campaign about the plight of animals, including how it is used in media like videogames and toys. It specifically targets the Pokemon franchise and fast food chain giant McDonald's.

The animal rights activist group reportedly believes that the Pokemon franchise's cute characters like Pikachu and Charmander, give people the subliminal message that it's okay to use animals for entertainment. As for McDonald's and its use of Pokemon toys in its Happy Meal giveaways, the group believes that this is a sneaky tactic to lure children into buying and eating burgers, chicken and fries.

PETA first released the parody game "PETA's Pokemon Black and Blue: Gotta Free 'Em All!" in 2012. PETA argues that Pokemon somehow promotes animal fighting, which is similar to dog fighting and cock fighting. They also believe that pokeballs used in the game, which contain the Pokemon, is similar to chaining elephants or caging tigers in train carts and letting them out to perform ridiculous tricks in circuses. The group also thinks that the fictional world of Pokemon makes these things seem okay and even adorable for others.

Play the "PETA's Pokemon Black and Blue: Gotta Free 'Em All!" parody game below.

For a review of the "PETA's Pokemon Black and Blue: Gotta Free 'Em All!" check out the video below.

CREDIT: YouTube/Jon

PETA also commented on Unova, a region in the Pokemon world which is the main setting of the actual Pokemon games it parodies, "Pokemon Black and White" and "Pokemon Black 2 and White 2."

"If PETA existed in Unova, our motto would be : Pokemon are not ours to use or abuse. They exist for their own reasons. We believe that this is the message that should be sent to children," wrote Team PETA on the official PETA Web site.

Meanwhile, the newest parody game that PETA released in Oct. 2013 is called "Pokemon Red, White and Blue: An Unofficial PETA Parody." It is a follow-up to "PETA's Pokemon Black and Blue: Gotta Free 'Em All!" game. This one targets McDonald's because it now includes Pokemon toys in its Happy Meals for kids. It is a parody of the game "Pokemon X and Y."

Aside from using animals for entertainment, PETA is also against raising animals for food and eating them. PETA believes that animals are not meant to be eaten by humans. Instead, they should be looked after because the group believes that is our job as stewards of creation. The animal rights group promotes veganism which is a way of living wherein animals are not used for food, clothing or any other product which requires testing, harming or killing animals.

In the "Pokemon Red, White and Blue: An Unofficial PETA Parody" game, the Pokemon battles workers from slaughterhouses, a McDonald's boss and a scary Ronald McDonald.

PETA Director of Marketing Innovations Joel Bartlett said that the "Pokemon X and Y" parody game is an entertaining way to get their message against animal abuse across to millions of people, especially children who are fans of the Pokemon franchise.

Play the "Pokemon Red, White and Blue: An Unofficial PETA Parody" game below.

"Our parody game is a fun way to tackle a serious issue-that it's wrong for Nintendo to allow McDonald's to lure kids in using its beloved, cute icons, when the reality that Pokémon have been used to mask would horrify them," said Bartlett in a PETA report on its official Web site.

"PETA's game offers an empathetic way to look at animals that we hope will inspire players to choose kindness and go vegan-after all, even humans can evolve," he added.

For a review of the "Pokemon Red, White and Blue: An Unofficial PETA Parody" game, watch the first video at the start of the article.

The "Pokemon X and Y" PETA parody games in protest of Pokemon and McDonald's successfully mixes entertainment and education. Aside from playing it on this page, you can also play these games on PETA's Web site.

Click the links below:

"PETA's Pokemon Black and Blue: Gotta Free 'Em All!" ("Pokemon Black and White" and "Pokemon Black 2 and White 2" parody game)

"Pokemon Red, White and Blue: An Unofficial PETA Parody" ("Pokemon X and Y" parody game)

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