A colorful sight on the WoW server Feathermoon attracted attention. Almost 900 colorful trolls ran and donated for a good cause.
World of Warcraft has been used for good causes in the past. After the “Running of the Gnomes” gained popularity against breast cancer, it even became a fixed event in the ingame calendar. On June 9, a similar event took place, this time on the Horde side: The Running of the Trolls.
What is the Running of the Trolls about? The most colorful trolls start at level 1 in the troll starting area, the Echo Islands, and run from there as a large group to Orgrimmar. Then, they continue with the Zeppelin to Tirisfal, from where they pilgrimage through the Western and then the Eastern Plaguelands. They go through the Ghostlands and the Immersang Forest until they finally arrive in Silvermoon. Donations are collected for a good cause along the way. In total, nearly 860 trolls participated in 2018.
What is the purpose of the donations? The proceeds from the run, which amount to $4,195 this year, will be donated to “The Trevor Project”.
This is an organization dedicated to suicide prevention for LGBTQ+ youth, meaning young gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender individuals. The suicide rate among these youths is high, due to the lack of societal acceptance in many places around the world. “The Trevor Project” offers crisis and suicide counseling to these young people.
Like the Running of the Gnomes – only for the Horde … and more for men
Men wanted their own project. Organizer Dravvie also shares that not everything about this is positive. She initiated the project because players on the Horde side wanted something similar. However, others felt excluded from the “Running of the Gnomes” (the event supporting breast cancer research) because they are not women.
As Dravvie recounts:
“The other, somewhat frustrating feedback I received was that people wanted an event specifically for men. They forget that breast cancer affects everyone, regardless of their gender. But I did my best to accommodate these wishes.”
Thus, there are currently two major annual events in World of Warcraft that collect donations.
What do you think of this initiative? A cool action that draws attention to important issues and also raises money for good causes? Or does such a thing not belong in a game?
