Whats a Gnome to a Goblin?

Virtual Reality gaming is new and exciting, and still in its commercial infancy. However, there are production companies out there, working to bring better, affordable products to the masses.

Jon Favreau, the film director/writer/actor, not the political activist/speech writer, is currently dabbling in VR gaming in partnership with Wevr productions. His pet project is called Gnomes & Goblins. The interactive trailer was released in 2016.

It looks really good. The page from the production company gives information and testimonials on the creative process. I linked to it right here and on the picture above. It apparently hasn't been finished yet, and I could find no press releases or stories about why, or if it is still in production, or has been canceled. I will assume it has been in production for the last 3 years. Hopefully we can all see a finished product eventually.

Comrades in Gnomes

Apparently this isn't the only all encompassing gnome blog on the Internet. I'm not that shocked, the Internet is vast. Over on Word Press, there is a blog called The Drunk Gnome. Head on over there to check out posts largely about gnome collecting, gnome festivals/gatherings, and a lot of weirdness.

Reserving the World Record

England seems to have a thing for gnomes like no other place. In West Putford, there is a 4 acre park called the Gnome Reserve dedicated to gnomish adventure! Their website proudly welcomes everyone to "enjoy a magical day out for the whole family". They have seamlessly woven over 2000 garden gnomes with 250 species of flowers and native plants. 

Created in 1979 by Ann Atkin. Her art inspired a vision of a gnome paradise. The collection of 2000+ gnomes is a Guinness World Record. This privately owned park integrates outdoor past times like hiking and fishing into gnome tom-foolery. They give out gnome hats at the door so "the gnomes think you are one of them". Their website is linked here, and also on that picture above. Pictures below....

Gnomes: Two Weeks at a Time

Gnomes pop up all over the place, hence this blog. Sometimes they show up in weird places, like video games. I posted before about World of Warcraft, and Fable. And now, this game.

Fortnite was released in 2017 by Epic and quickly captured the hearts and minds and all the spare time for everyone under 21. It's basically a first person shooter game, much like Call of Duty, Battlefront, Overwatch, and many others. Fortnite added the ability to build defenses, and has  seemingly endless personalization/customization skins.

Why do I care? Normally, I don't. I'm not really into online melee games like the ones mentioned above. I'm not into playing with others. Except Mario Kart, and FIFA. But... I discovered today that this game has gnomes!

Apparently the Battle Royale mode includes treasure hunts, daily challenges that hide objects all over the landscape. Sometimes they make you search for gnomes! This, of course, is very much like the quest in Fable III. They even laugh when you get too close.... so, actually very much like Fable III.

In addition to these scavenger hunts, Fortnite has also included a skin (of course) that allows players to dress like gnomes, while they muck about, shooting zombies and each other, or whatever it is you do in this game. Grimble is his name... and he looks terrifying.

it's not unsettling... not at all

Virtual Reality Gnomes

Apparently Gnome isn't the only thing in the tech world named after the best mythological creature ever. The Head Gnome, as his email says, is David Wyand, founder of Gnometech, a company that specializes in gaming hardware and game development. He also wrote a textbook on Torque 3D game development for Garage Games.

Apparently they've developed a few apps for VR including a paint app, Circumpaint, a hockey game, and a turtle simulator. Gnome and Gnometech may share more than just a namesake. Torque 3D, and Gnome are both open source programs. This would lead me to believe that Gnometech programs are possibly also open source. Not confirmed, as this doesn't appear on the Gnometech site, but I wouldnt be shocked.

Rag & Gnome

In a round about sort of way, I found this gif today. It features Emma Roberts, niece of Julia Roberts, known for her work with Jason Sudeikis and Jennifer Aniston in Meet the Millers, and on the Scream Queens, and American Horror Story television shows.

She obviously gnome-naps.

This is from a film short, Time of Day, which also stars Jon Hamm, and Kate Mara; featuring music by Thom Yorke. It is produced by the clothing company Rag & Bone from New York. Apparently they use these short films as ads? They're directed by a variety of people, some professional, some amateur. Some make more sense than this one.

But this one is clearly the best.... because gnomes!

Watson! A Sequel is Afoot!

Our favorite characters from the best gnome movie ever made returned in March with a second film!

That's right, Gnomeo and Juliet meet the Greatest Gnome Detective!

In case you forgot, or want a refresher, the first movie is on this blog too. 

The plot, basically, is a gnome-napping case. The world building from the original is expanded to include other knick knacks, toys, and statues like maneki-nekos, dolls, teddy bears, and gargoyles. There are puns and references to classic Sherlock Holmes and gnomes, or course. Apparently it's also a musical, with Elton John highly represented.

The beginning of the movie throws out some great ideas for a bunch of sequels, including Games of Gnomes, the Gnome Ranger, Spiderman: Gnome Coming, Indiana Gnomes.... I want to see them all!