It’s been a while since r/place was all the rage, but now, a new clone by the name of ‘wplace’ is blowing up across the internet. Here’s the rundown on what it actually is and how it all works.
Every now and then, the internet comes together. Sometimes it’s for a good cause, other times it’s just for a bit of silly-goofy fun. This situation is definitely the latter.
What started as an April Fool’s gag in 2017 quickly became a viral internet craze. ‘r/place’ was a blank canvas for anyone with internet access to express themselves. Though given time restraints, it typically led to communities rallying together to fight for real estate on the screen.
It was a craze at the time and has since been replicated a number of years later, before ultimately shutting down in 2023. Now, however, a new clone of sorts has risen up. Enter ‘wplace.’
What is wplace?
At its most basic, wplace is a clone of r/place. The idea is simply for users to ‘paint’ across an enormous canvas one pixel at a time.
The official description calls it a “collaborative, real-time pixel canvas where anyone can paint and create art together.”
Here, it’s not a blank canvas though. This time, it’s a map of the world being painted over, leading to many localized references as users from all over the globe find their locations on the grid.
When servers are working, which they often aren’t due to the influx of people trying to check it out, you’re able to paint one pixel every 30 seconds. It could, therefore, take hours to make something truly spectacular, hence why communities often rally together.
We’re already seeing it across the board on wplace. One island has been taken over by drawings of Snoopy. Others have been overrun with characters from Undertale and Deltarune.
Given that there are no real guidelines in place, things can get a bit out of hand. From more explicit depictions to outright inflammatory messages, don’t be surprised if you see some wild stuff scattered around the virtual map.
There’s no quite telling how long this platform will be supported for, or whether it may even be an indefinite project. In the past, r/place runs have had cutoffs, but there’s been no indication in this instance with wplace.
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