Last month (December 2012), Blizzard introduced the Cinder Kitten into World of Warcraft, a fiery little virtual cat that players could adopt. All the money from the sales that month went to the Red Cross for the Superstorm Sandy Response relief efforts. Now, the figures are in, and the grand total raised is an astonishing $2.3 million.
The Cinder Kitten costs $10, so that means around 230,000 players decided to adopt one before December 31st. Even if some of those only did so because they liked the look of the little fluffball and not because they wanted to help those affected by the storm, we can assume that most of those acted out sheer generosity and care for other human beings.
In a world in which video games and their players are targeted, and in which World of Warcraft in particular is often singled out as addictive and reclusive, it's nice to be able to show the world that we can actually do some good. And it's admirable for Blizzard, too, to have used its renown among gamers to create an extra lump sum of donations that might not have ever reached the relief efforts otherwise. Here's a statement from the team at Blizzard:
The community embraced this fiery feline in doves, helping out a great cause in the process. Thanks again to everyone who helped make a difference.
