Pixel art: where Google Maps meets MS Paint

Launched only a few weeks ago, the initiative has already gained enormous acceptance from users around the world

A new website capable of transforming a normal world map into a huge shared digital canvas is enjoying global success: its name is Wplace and it allows anyone to create their own work of art, in pixel art style, in real time together with other users, thus giving life to a collective work in continuous evolution.

In fact, this is not the first time we have witnessed the debut of websites that propose collaborative activities involving the simultaneous participation of several users, often unknown to each other: last November, for example, Redact-a-chat was in vogue, the free chatroom where words are disposable and invites users to type in new terms, since the same cannot be used more than once a day.

This new project, however, has something in common with the r/Place experiments launched in the past by Reddit as an April Fool's joke, in which a 2000 x 2000 pixel grid was proposed to be coloured according to strict rules that forced users to collaborate with each other.

On Wplace, in fact, each user starts his activity on the planisphere with a pool of 30 pixels, but can only draw one pixel every 30 seconds: therefore, those who intend to create very complex images will have to arm themselves with patience or join other participants in order to work with several hands. But in spite of the limitations, not a few works are already visible on the map: in Florence, for example, quotations and images dedicated to the TV series Hannibal are popping up, while Las Vegas is plastered with references to the Fallout saga.