WoW has raised over $2 million for charity CureDuchenne by selling a cute little fox, after being inspired by The Remarkable Life of Ibelin documentary
Blizzard has raised over $2 million for the charity CureDuchenne, using the seemingly irresistible lure of microtransactions for good. World of Warcraft players accomplished this via The Reven Pack (a cute little fox companion and a backpack to go with it), which Blizzard donated 100% of the purchase price of to CureDuchenne.
Duchenne is one of many muscle wasting conditions—being one of the most common and, sadly, one of the most debilitating, as those diagnosed with the disease have a life expectancy of around 18 to 25 years. CureDuchenne is a charity dedicated to raising research funding to tackle Duchenne, as well as education and outreach.
The pack was created and sold after the team was inspired by The Remarkable Life of Ibelin, a heartfelt documentary I had the pleasure of speaking to the creator oflast year. It follows the life of Mats Steen, a real person who died from Duchenne in 2014, age 25, and it tells this tale using chat logs from his fellow roleplayers in scenes recreated by animators, as well as his personal chat blog and interviews with his family and friends.
Debra Miller, founder and CEO of the charity, offered her thanks in a blog post by Blizzard: «This campaign has been truly extraordinary—not only in the critical funds raised for research, but in the awareness it has generated for Duchenne muscular dystrophy … The World of Warcraft community has shown that gaming can be a powerful force for good, and we are deeply grateful to Blizzard, the Steen family, and to every player who joined us in honoring Mats Steen and making a real difference in the lives of those affected by Duchenne.»
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