What is Pixels? A 2024 Guide

What is Pixels?

Pixels is about fun social activities, casual gameplay, and asset gathering. The game is set in a stylised 16-bit open world where players engage in various activities such as farming, exploring, and completing quests. 

Players can also purchase farm land, allowing them to design an island for other players to explore, plant crops and craft resources on. Land owners receive a share of the crops grown on their land, incentivising players to develop land that is both pleasing to look at, but more importantly, efficient in terms of the farm plots and crafting options available.

All actions in the game (besides movement) require players to use up energy, which recharges over time or can be restored using in-game food, using the in-game sauna, or joining limited-time Energy parties.

Raw resources can be crafted into other items, for example by cooking food, brewing beer or crafting items like furniture and tools, with some of these requiring specific blueprints or recipes obtained through gameplay or events.

With the ability to design an in-game avatar, or import NFTs from the top collections as your avatar, players can also develop character skills, interact with others and socialize, with the goal of creating a thriving virtual community.

How Pixels Works

A key feature of Pixels is that it doesn’t cost anything to get started. New players can begin their farms on free land, called Specks, to start generating resources. These resources can be sold for ‘Coins’, the primary in-game currency, which is used to purchase initial upgrades to Specks, lower-tier crafting kits and basic resources.

Players can also earn Coins by completing quests, participating in events, and achieving in-game milestones. 

There is also a premium in-game currency called $PIXEL, the native token for Pixels. It can be purchased directly through exchanges, where it currently trades at $0.23 USD, or earned by completing quests – supporting the game’s play-to-earn nature.

While the $PIXEL token isn’t absolutely necessary to make progress in the game, it’s designed to boost the gaming experience. Players spend $PIXEL to buy items more quickly, and access upgrades and cosmetic enhancements outside of the core gameplay. 

$PIXEL can also be used to purchase Pixel VIP, an exclusive membership level offering a wealth of benefits, such as extra chances to earn more $PIXEL, reduced fees on the in-game marketplace and more. Pixel VIP currently costs $10 USD/month in $PIXEL.

The History of Pixels

Luke Barwikowski heads the development team behind Pixels, and has adopted an open approach with its gaming community, creating strong engagement and a loyal following in the process.

Pixels began development in November 2021 and integrated its first non-fungible tokens (NFTs) collections in the same month. Features like Farming, Farmlands, and Quest updates quickly followed, rolling out within just the first few months of 2022. 

Chapter 1 was released at the end of 2022, introducing a swathe of new elements, including new characters, quests, improved UI, and extensive reworking of gameplay mechanics. 

Pixels shifted from the Polygon Network to Ronin at the end of 2023, creating a better experience for players, and supporting the game’s continued growth and development.

June 2024 saw the release of Chapter 2, with more significant updates. New skills were added, the marketplace was overhauled, with new shops enhancing the game mechanics. A new avatar system, with visual updates for NPCs added to the improvements.

The game’s rapid development continues to be guided by three core pillars: prioritizing fun, embracing interoperability, and gradually decentralizing control. The end goal is to decentralize more aspects of the game, allowing players to have a greater say in its direction and governance.

Issuing updates weekly, Pixels stands out as an innovative, player-friendly game that blends traditional gameplay with blockchain technology, offering a unique and evolving experience in web3.

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