On Reddit, numerous communities and even large Twitch streamers have been battling for pixels since July 20, 2023. We at MeinMMO explain what r/place is all about.
Note: This article was originally published on July 25, 2023, and we updated it on July 26.
What is r/place? It is a huge community project hosted by Reddit, the homepage of the internet
. The name refers to the subreddit where the project takes place; alternatively, it is simply referred to as “Place”.
r/place starts as a blank canvas of 1,000 × 1,000 pixels. Reddit users can then place a single colored pixel on this canvas. They must then wait a few minutes before they can color the next square. Together, users create impressive works of art.
Even Twitch streamers like Félix “xQc” Lengyel are participating in the event.
The Unique Appeal of r/place
What is special about r/place? Countless people come together for this project to immortalize themselves on the canvas. However, space in r/place is fiercely contested.
Time and again, communities try to compete for space and overwrite each other’s artworks. This leads to epic battles between the groups.
In other cases, communities band together into alliances. They promise not to attack each other’s works and even defend one another. You can see a timelapse of the entire event here:
The History of r/place
What is behind r/place? It all started on April 1, 2017. Initially, r/place was a kind of April Fool’s joke by the Reddit admins. However, individual communities quickly began to organize themselves and deliberately embellish certain sections.
By the end of the experiment on April 3, 2017, over 1 million Reddit users had participated and placed approximately 15 million tiles in total.
On April 1, 2022, r/place surprisingly returned. This time, the event lasted a full 5 days.
How r/place 2023 Went
How long will r/place last? This year’s r/place did not start as usual on April 1 but after several delays on July 20. The event ended in the early hours of July 26, our time. As in previous editions, users could only place white squares instead of colorful pixels to return the canvas to its original state.
Who is u/spez and what has he done? Behind the username is Reddit CEO Steve Huffman. Many users used this year’s r/place to express their dissatisfaction with Reddit’s recent changes and adorned numerous posts as well as the canvas itself with the phrase “Fuck Spez” or “Fuck u/spez”.
When will r/place 2024 take place? It is not yet clear whether there will be another edition of r/rplace in 2024. Originally, the event was designed to take place only every 5 years so that internet culture can change in the meantime and new memes can emerge to fill the canvas.
Some users suspect that the event was brought back earlier in 2023 to distract from the bad mood. If r/place returns in 2024, it will probably start again on the usual date of April 1.
How do Twitch streamers fit in? r/place is particularly interesting for streamers because they can work live with their fans on artworks and immortalize themselves on the canvas.
If a content creator manages to successfully assert themselves against another community, it is a kind of recognition: I am the cooler streamer because my fans put in more effort.
