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It’s a bizarre and humorous tradition for a good cause. World of Warcraft’s Running of the Gnomes calls upon gamers to create level one gnome characters and make a dangerous expedition to support charity. While this was previously just a community run event, Blizzard has come out and supported Running of the Gnomes with a fun (and official) event.

Gnomes start in New Tinkertown, run to Ironforge, and progress to Stormwind via the Deeprun Tram. The rag-tag group of gnomes then makes their way south through Stranglethorn Vale, eventually ending their journey (with many deaths along the way) at Booty Bay.

Running of the Gnomes supports Cleveland Clinic’s Tuohy Vaccine, and the accompanying Running of the Trolls event supports the Trevor Project, an important 24 hour suicide hotline for LGBT Youth.

As mentioned above, Blizzard has officially supported Running of the Gnomes by including an achievement for running through 40 gates and crossing the finish line. Accompanying the race will be accompanying decorations and other regalia befitting the epic trek of World of Warcraft’s gnomes.

In an interview with PVP Live, the event’s founder Dravvie expressed her appreciation and shock and how big the event as grown.

“Some people donate what they want to the run, but some people pledge to donate a certain amount per person who shows up. When we first started out, we pledged to donate ‘small change’ as a joke about Gnomes, where people would say that they’d donate a penny/nickle/dime/quarter per gnome that was there. Some still do! That’s why you see odd donation numbers sometimes!…I feel really honored that that this small, fun charity event that I started years ago with some friends has turned into such an installation in the community that Blizzard saw fit to make it a holiday. It’s neat to think that so many people that wouldn’t have otherwise known about the event will get to experience it! Looking at the PTR, they didn’t even change the route. I’m so touched to know that the staff at Blizzard have come to love the event like I and the community do. Honestly, I just feel humbled and grateful.”

World of Warcraft’s Running of the Gnomes has grown from an initial population of 144 gnomes to over 2,860 gnomes last year. This number is only guaranteed to grow as Blizzard gives the event official support and a significant cosmetic update.

Will you guys be running a gnome for a good cause? Sound off in the comments below!

As Editor here at GeekReply, I'm a big fan of all things Geeky. Most of my contributions to the site are technology related, but I'm also a big fan of video games. My genres of choice include RPGs, MMOs, Grand Strategy, and Simulation. If I'm not chasing after the latest gear on my MMO of choice, I'm here at GeekReply reporting on the latest in Geek culture.

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Disney Speedstorm, Gameloft’s free-to-play kart racer, will enter its latest season with a wintery backdrop of Arendelle. Let It Go will add Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff, and Hans as racers. As always, they’ll have unique moves and abilities.

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The developer also announced on Twitter that it’s lowering in-game shop prices starting today, and if you’ve paid for microtransactions, you’ll get a big payout. The French studio appears to be betting on this season’s success.

Adding non-Frozen characters Oswald, Ortensia, and WALL-E could also help. A comprehensive game update should bring back lapsed players and attract new ones. Will you challenge the kart racer?

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New Destiny 2 Microtransaction Is Bad Bungie Removed It from PS5, PS4

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Bungie has pulled a contentious $15 starter pack from Season of the Wish, which launched yesterday. The pack had a poor selection and was marketed to new players, which the community strongly opposed.

The starter pack proudly stated that players could “experience the power of build-defining Exotic weapons by instantly unlocking three of Destiny 2’s finest: Traveler’s Chosen, Ruinous Effigy, and Sleeper Simulant.” An exotic ship, a sparrow, a ghost shell, 125,000 glimmer, 50 enhancement cores, five enhancement prisms, and one ascendant shard are also included.

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Guardians retaliated with negative Steam reviews. They orchestrated the DLC page to include “Capitalism,” “Crime,” and “Psychological Horror” user tags, which is funny.

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After Bungie pulled the pack, Redditor Grizz3d summarized the community response: “I don’t get how that starter pack was approved. What part of stealing from new players wasn’t going to result in community outrage? Bungie’s disconnect with players is shocking. I’m glad you got rid of the pack, but it’s disappointing that Bungie thought it was a good idea.”

This follows the Witcher 3 crossover armour sets, which look great but are expensive. Sony’s independent live service outpost is in danger due to a delayed expansion and studio layoffs.

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PlayStation planted over 500,000 trees last year

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Sony announced last year that it would plant trees for Horizon Forbidden West PlayStation fans who unlocked a simple trophy in the open-world game. This, in partnership with several charities, sought to protect the global environment and biodiversity.

Over a year later, it released a trailer showing its progress. The company has planted 600,000 trees worldwide, restoring 1,800 acres. More importantly, the gaming industry has planted 2.5 million trees worldwide.

Gaming is fun, but we must protect our world. Sony has taken steps to be more environmentally friendly, such as adding energy-saving features to the PS5 and shipping all its products in fully recyclable packaging.

 

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