Calling all gamers – history is being made on Monday October 17 when a series of charity auctions will kick off featuring HP server blade hardware that was originally used during the early days of World of Warcraft, Blizzard Entertainment’s award-winning massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG). Game enthusiasts around the world will get a unique chance to own a piece of World of Warcraft history -- original HP BladeSystem servers that once housed hundreds of different realms across North America and Europe.
Realms: From Azuremist to Zuluhed
In total, approximately 2,000 of the original server blades from about 500 different World of Warcraft realms will be auctioned. Realms (like Azuremist and Zuluhed) are like virtual neighborhoods of the game’s community and these servers are a monument to the community’s experience. My favorite realm of course, is Blade. The p-class server blades will each be contained in a custom windowed case featuring the World of Warcraft logo and offering a view of the computer hardware inside. Nope, they are not functional, you won’t be able to build your own realm, but we can sell you a new HP BladeSystem. They will also come with a commemorative plaque signed by the World of Warcraft team and a certificate of authenticity, making each one a true collector’s item.
The Quest for Research and Treatment
The net proceeds from the auction will benefit St. Jude Children’s Research hospital, one of the world’s premier centers for the research and treatment of pediatric cancer and other catastrophic children’s diseases. Gamers participating in the auction will be helping make a difference in the lives of children battling cancer and other deadly diseases.
Game On: Possess your very own piece of the virtual world
The server blades will be auctioned in batches over the course of four weeks, beginning on October 24, 2011. Building the servers is a badge of honor for HP and having retired servers re-used after an infrastructure upgrade to benefit charity appeals to my green wonk sensibility. HP has a history of innovative giving and I am excited that we could participate in this very cool project that will benefit children around the world. So if you want to compete with me to own a server that built the “Blade” realm, game on!
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Attention all #worldofwarcraft gamers! Own a piece of history and benefit #StJudes bit.ly/p3ZlIy #hp #bladesystem #hpci
