The pink gnomes have always run against breast cancer in WoW according to their own rules. Now Blizzard is helping.
For nearly 7 years, there has been a nice tradition on the American server Scarlet Crusade in World of Warcraft . Once a year, players create a small level-1 gnome with pink hair and preferably pink clothing to participate in the official “Running of the Gnomes” event.
In this rather cute pink run, the course from Dun Morogh to Booty Bay must be completed. However, it’s not just done for the fun of pink joy; it has a serious background. Donations are collected, which are paid 100% to the Cleveland Clinic to advance the research on the Tuohy vaccine, which aims to combat breast cancer. Donations come from various individuals, and there were no set guidelines – some donate a fixed amount, while others donate a sum X multiplied by the number of participating gnomes.
Blizzard expands event to in-game event
This year, the event – which takes place again in October – is expected to receive special attention because Blizzard is turning it into its own in-game event. The original course will be marked with appropriate flags, and at the start and end point, there will even be a quest. This alone is likely to ensure that more participants than ever before will take part in the gnome run this year.
In an interview with colleagues from PVP Live, Dravvie, one of the founders of the event, revealed that he feels very honored by this gesture from Blizzard:
“I feel honored that this small, fun charity event, which I started years ago with some friends, has turned into such a large event that Blizzard saw fit to make it its own holiday.”
We can only hope that this support from Blizzard will lead to even more donations being collected. In any case, it’s a lovely thing when the community’s efforts are so supported by the developers.
