A newly-launched website allows users to create pixel art using the world map as its canvas.

Wplace is a Brazilian website that acts as a live canvas where users can paint over pixels anywhere in the world. Based on the launch video, there are over four trillion pixels just waiting to be filled in. The way the website works is simple. You just have to create an account and pick a place to start drawing your art. Users are presented with a select number of colors. As they continue to paint in more pixels, they gain access to other colors to fill their palette. There is a set limit on how many pixels they can fill in, with one pixel being recharged for use every 30 seconds. The mechanics are fairly similar to Reddit's r/place social experiment, where Reddit users worked together to fill in a blank canvas with pixels.

Already, there have been numerous sprites popping around over the Philippine map. Most of the art seen covering the map of the National Capital Region contains characters from video games like "Undertale," "Deltarune," "Among Us," and "Five Nights at Freddy's," to name a few. There are also fan arts of shows like "Dragon Ball" and webcomics like "Homestuck." Some even spend time trying to cement their alma mater, with icons representing the University of Santo Tomas and the University of the Philippines in their respective campus areas. Across the world, other artists are taking the time to create artworks representative of their local area. In Australia, there are multiple pixel artworks of the iconic Aussie children's show, "Bluey." Meanwhile, in the US, fans of Tyler, the Creator have dedicated a large chunk of California to cementing his albums.

Pixel art's beginnings can be attributed to even the earliest of art forms. Think back to all the early mosaic paintings, beadwork, and embroidery that made use of geometric patterns to create certain images. Though it was at the earliest roots of the video game era that pixel art flourished, as early video games like "Space Invaders" and "Pac-Man" paved the way. Throughout the 1980s, the surge of popularity in developing arcade games and home video games led to improvements in creating visuals. At the time, game developers had a limited palette of colors to work with, depending on the computer's graphics capabilities. These days, many might dismiss pixel art-style video games as outdated, though it continues to be a popular medium. Games like "Papers, Please," "Shovel Knight," "Terraria," and "Stardew Valley" continue to find success.