HISTORY
If you haven’t been living under a rock the last few months, chances are you have probably heard about the Ebola outbreak in the United States. However, many people have been, and still are unaware that this has been an ongoing problem in Africa for 38 years. For more information, you can track the outbreak chronology here.
Ebola was first discovered in 1976 near the Ebola river located next to the present-day Democratic Republic of Congo. Following the initial outbreak, 32 cases have been discovered. However, the current outbreak has been the largest with the death toll soon surpassing 3,000, and it has been declared a public health emergency by The World Health Organization. As of March 2014, 13,241 reported cases of Ebola have spanned from Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Mali, Spain, Nigeria, Senegal, and of course to the United States. Cases of Ebola in the United States have been isolated in Dallas, TX and New York City.
Image by juanpol https://www.flickr.com/photos/juanpol/8232453/
WHY DOES IT MATTER?
By this point, you’re probably asking “what does this have to do with games?” World of Warcraft has announced that 100 percent of proceeds from sales of their new in-game pet, Argi, will be donated to the American Red Cross in its Ebola relief efforts in West Africa. She will be on sale in the Battle.net shop for $10 starting on December 3rd.
“This isn’t the first time that Blizzard donated the sales of a World of Warcraft pet to charity. Last year, players could purchase the Alterac Brew Pup for $10, half of which went to Make-A-Wish, a United States-based charity that grants wishes to children diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions.”
WHAT’S NEW?
In the past, I have not given my opinion on many of these issues, but what’s the fun in that? I have since realized that part of what makes a blog unique is a blogger’s opinion on a certain topic or post.
Earlier, I admitted that I did not know about Ebola before its American outbreak. I have realized that this is a very common problem. And by problem, I mean: We do not care much about something until it is relevant to us. Taking into consideration that Ebola has been in existence for 38 years (that we know of), why are they just waiting until now to raise funds? Perhaps, because the first world has finally been touched by a third world problem? I’m sure that you, like myself, have seen hashtags on Facebook and a series of other social networking sites that go along the lines of #firstworldproblems…
“Life is tough when you have it easier than everyone else.”
While I support World of Warcraft’s efforts, do you find it a little bit odd that World of Warcraft is offering donations for Ebola relief after its American debut? Or, is this the typical response of the first world?
Lyfe in Pixels 