A community event is becoming official
World of Warcraft is finally getting its first official Pride event, and the origin story is better than Blizzard usually gets credit for. The new celebration is based on Running of the Trolls, a community-run event that has taken place on the US Feathermoon server for 12 years under the larger WarcraftCares umbrella.
The event brings players together on troll characters for a march that traditionally heads to Silvermoon. Along the way, it raises money for The Trevor Project, the LGBT youth crisis organization that also focuses on research, advocacy, and education. So yes, this is one of those rare instances where an in-game parade actually has a real-world point beyond looking festive in screenshots.
Silvermoon complicates things a little
This year, the organizers will need a new destination. Silvermoon has been remade for Midnight, and reaching it now requires access to the expansion. The Burning Crusade version still exists, but getting there would turn a simple event into a logistics problem with ears, which is usually a bad sign.
For players who cannot make it to Feathermoon, Blizzard is also preparing an alternative event called Darkspear Dash. It will run from June 27 to June 29 and lets players join the Darkspear trolls as they celebrate individuality and identity.
Datamining points to in-game rewards
According to datamining shared by WoWHead, players taking part in the special version of the event may be able to earn a tabard and a rainbow toy. Blizzard has not spelled out the exact details yet, which is sensible given that the event is still a few months away and game companies do enjoy making simple things weirdly opaque.
Even so, the move is a welcome one. At a time when some MMOs have been scaling Pride celebrations back, Blizzard is doing the uncommon thing and elevating a fan-made tradition into something official. That is a nice reminder that MMOs are usually at their best when they build on the communities that keep them alive in the first place.
