Thread by @rex_woodbury

NoPixel is the most fascinating virtual world on the internet.

NoPixel is a role-playing game in Grand Theft Auto. You have to apply to get in, and you must stay in character the whole time.

Here's how it works 👇

1/ First, you create your character. You customize your hair, your clothing, your accessories.

Then you fill out an application. You answer questions in character, like "You’ve found what looks like a random car in the street with a load of drugs inside. What do you do and why?”

2/ The goal of role-play is to create an immersive experience—basically to create a realistic, robust virtual world.

At all times in NoPixel, you must talk and act as your character.

3/ Like in the real world, players need to earn money in NoPixel.

Some people choose to be civilians. Others choose a life of crime.

You can make your money honestly, or you can rob a bank or plan a heist.

4/ If you choose civilian life, you can be a car salesman or a garbage truck driver or a bartender.

If you choose a life of crime, you can be a drug lord and run a meth lab. (Yes, this is an image of a meth lab in NoPixel.)

5/ There are real consequences for a life of crime. There's a police force run by real-life players who are out to arrest you.

6/ You may actually find yourself in court, pleading before a judge (who is also another player). And you might end up in jail.

7/ All players start with $5K and then have to earn money from there.

When you make money—whether through honest work or through crime—you can spend it. You can buy a new house or a flashy new car.

NoPixel has a robust digital economy.

8/ NoPixel also functions like a real society.

Everyone has to pay taxes. If you're unhappy with your tax rate, you can vote for a new Mayor with new policies.

9/ NoPixel is a tight-knit community. Recently, the streamer who played the character Misty Mocha died in real life from cancer.

Fellow players held an in-game funeral for her and grieved.

10/ A day in the NoPixel world can range from the mundane (getting a traffic ticket) to the thrilling (a high-speed car chase).

It's mostly a more exciting form of reality that lets you take on a digital persona of your choosing.

11/ As we spend more time online, we might all have digital personas to go alongside our real identities.

You might be a police officer in real life and a drug kingpin online.

You might be a teacher in the analog world, and a professional gambler in the digital world.

12/ NoPixel is a vibrant world with a robust digital economy. It lets people try on new identities and new lives.

It unlocks new levels of self-expression.

13/ To glimpse the future of the internet, look to gaming.

Soon, virtual worlds won't be just for gamers. Everyone will have a digital identity to go alongside their real one.