If you’ve ever wanted to paint your town red, new online map Wplace has arrived as the perfect opportunity – and it appears gamers are taking the assignment seriously. Launched just several weeks ago, Wplace is a live map that overlays a virtual canvas onto the real world, allowing anyone with a Twitch or Google account to paint their vision, one pixel at a time.
While this idea is not strictly new – Wplace is a spin on Reddit‘s r/place experiment, a fresh canvas brings new ideas, and new opportunities to bring people together (as well as pull them apart). Since its launch, Wplace has become a smorgasbord of interactions, with all sorts of artworks, protests, and memes shared on the map, around the world.
What’s most notable is how people are using it. Some are simply creating artwork using their pixel art skills. Others are taking to Wplace to share political messages or protests in relevant areas. Looking around the virtual map of Australia, Canberra is a notable hotbed of activity, with many users writing their protests or sharing symbols of freedom around the location of Government House. There’s some colourful language being used in some instances, while some Wplace contributors have chosen more artistic methods to share their message.
While an online map like this always comes with its risks – given a blank canvas, it’s not long before crude drawings emerge – most people using Wplace appear to be sharing in the spirit of things, with all sorts of neat artworks and kind-hearted messages shared around locations.
In various parts of Australia, including Team Cherry’s home in Adelaide, you’ll find sprites for Hollow Knight and its sequel, Silksong. There’s also Overwatch sprites, images of Kirby, and plenty of Undertale roaming around.
What Sydney looks like in Wplace
It’s heartening to see so many well-meaning artworks across Australia and beyond, with so many folks contributing their artistic talent to the map. Even with some of the weirder images you’ll find – my local area currently has Hello Kitty and Kuromi with bikini bodies – you’ll find even more cool, intricate designs, with so many people popping in to share their love and their interests.
Perhaps it’s the Twitch or Google account requirements which have inspired a more mature approach, but whatever the reason, it’s lovely to see so much passion placed on a map, for everyone to see. It’s also worth noting just how much effort has gone into this creation. You can only place one single pixel every 30 seconds, so to create a full artwork takes time, talent, and patience. You have to really care to contribute, and that much is plain to see.
If you’re keen to contribute your own piece of identity to Wplace, whether in the form of art or protest, you can now log in and paint. It’s worth noting the website is facing frequent server issues that may prevent progress, as there’s lots of folks attempting to get in and paint their dreams, but with patience, you may make your mark on this wonderful living canvas.
Also on ScreenHub: Len’s Island has grown and changed alongside its creator, Julian Ball
When last I spoke to Len’s Island creator Julian Ball, he told me he’d needed to enter hospital for help dealing with stress. Creating the game with a minimalist team – at one point, in solo mode – had taken its toll, forcing him to reckon with his health. The game was a significant undertaking. It was backed by a strong vision, and ample ambition: to create a new experience in the survival-crafting genre that was fully-featured, vast, and endlessly creative. With a lack of experience in game creation, Ball admits it was a near-impossible undertaking.
