A pixel war is raging. Hundreds of thousands of Internet users compete to try to bring out drawings on a collective digital canvas made available by the American platform Reddit. On Sunday April 3, a French community coordinated by famous videographers (like streamers Zerator and Kameto) managed to bring out a gigantic tricolor flag there.
This initiative has been welcomed by brands, as well as by the far-right presidential candidate, Eric Zemmour. Franceinfo explains what it is.
It all starts Friday, April 1. The social network Reddit launches /r/Place, a temporary community in which a gigantic white canvas is made available to users. The rules are simple: each Internet user with a Reddit account has the right to place a pixel (that is to say the smallest possible unit of an image) every five minutes for free.
Quickly, communities came together to place drawings made collectively on this canvas. Logos of video games, films, symbols of support with the Ukrainian population victim of the Russian invasion… Over the hours, a wacky patchwork has been put in place.
Want to buy a poster of this work, it’s all internet culture in one image (and it’s really nice to say it) pic.twitter.com/WSc3paSCfZ
— Florent (@florentderue) April 4, 2022
Dispersed during the first hours, the French community finally coordinated on Sunday behind Kamel “Kameto” Kebir. Very popular on the Twitch platform where he is followed by 1.2 million people, this videographer and entrepreneur specializing in video games invited his viewers to “spend” their pixels to draw a huge tricolor on Reddit.
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE JUST ARRIVED, HERE IS THE EXPLANATION OF OUR FIGHT:
▶️ TO PARTICIPATE -> CREATE AN ACCOUNT AND VERIFY IT ON REDDIT THEN APPOINTMENT HERE AT THE BOTTOM LEFT: https://t.co/qgZLTMIiSM pic.twitter.com/u8NHYAHJLS
— KametoTV (@KametoTV) April 3, 2022
During the evening, many influencers and celebrities from the French web invited their fans to join the collective effort. And so it was that after a few hours, a gigantic pennant on which an approximate yellow Eiffel Tower appeared on the collective canvas.
My dear compatriots,
The hour is serious, I call on all French people to mobilize and lay large tiles.
Instructions: https://t.co/HRGFkv3cNL
To register and place your pixel: https://t.co/k1DYsj47ub pic.twitter.com/f3V99yPIBs— Hugo Travers (HugoDecrypts) (@HugoTravers) April 3, 2022
The initiative was not to everyone’s taste, however, and the tricolor was sabotaged by other communities. The many peaceful “offensives” have each time been repelled.
DEFEND DEFEND DEFEND DEFEND DEFEND DEFEND DEFEND DEFEND DEFEND DEFEND DEFEND DEFEND DEFEND DEFEND DEFEND DEFEND DEFEND DEFEND DEFEND DEFEND DEFEND DEFEND DEFEND DEFEND https://t.co/hiocO7lVw pic.twitter.com/xuUNC8F4Xh
— KametoTV (@KametoTV) April 3, 2022
Unsurprisingly, this “Pixel War” (“pixel war” in French) was quickly spotted outside of video game fans gathered on Twitch. During the evening, the French Rugby FederationThe media Konbini or the interprofession of the French dairy industryinvited their followers to join the Kameto-led effort.
On the political side, Eric Zemmour also tried to recover this virtual mobilization. During the night, the teams of the far-right candidate for the presidential election congratulated the “French Internet users who defend our beautiful tricolor flag”. “France needs you, the Reconquest is also done on Reddit”wrote the former journalist on Twitter.
This interference in the “Pixel War” was not to the liking of many Twitch personalities watching the event.
His name is Kamel and he represents France much better than you https://t.co/t01NFHYWIc
— Jean Massiet (@JeanMassiet) April 3, 2022
You’re wrong bro it’s pixels
— Locklear (@Lockl34r) April 3, 2022
The bellows should in any case not take long to fall. After four days of intense artistic battle, the r/Place/ initiative should conclude on Monday. Today, the imposing French flag is still there, adorned with a superb Arc de Triomphe.
Zidane, Emerald Dofus, crescent, Arc de Triomphe
France is the world’s largest internet power pic.twitter.com/BAcoG1qZCU
—SHIRO (@Shironeeeki) April 4, 2022