Why this Pixel ID thing rules.

So, for anyone who's been living underneath some sort of heavy boulder, pixel IDs were (from what I have managed to discern) 's and idea.
Originally started by them, along with , , , , and .


Essentially (for the rock-dwellers among you), you're supposed to draw yourself as a character from a fighting game. Complete with stats, a portrait and, of course, the sprite. And it's AMAZINGLY fun! So fun, in fact, that hundreds more started making their own pixel IDs.

Everybody must make one!
(here's mine)


created an account to gather them all in one place. Right now, it seems the list was so long it collapsed onto itself

Why has this become such a phenomenon?
The greatest thing about the pixel ID is that it's a challenging endeavor. It blends many different kinds of art. First of all, let's face it... who has tried pixel art before?
Besides the sprite, though, you're supposed to draw a portrait, design something for the background, plus come up with stats and a catch phrase. Every part requires some amount of conscious deliberation, making completing your own all the more satisfying.
The key, though, lies in the fact that it isn't too challenging. It's not intimidating, otherwise it wouldn't have become so popular. In fact, you can get pretty decent results on your first try. It's surprising how much you can squeeze out of just a few pixels. Furthermore, it's not a contest, which eliminates the fear of "mine not being good enough". Everyone is invited, no-- impelled to participate. There's this feeling that we're all creating something bigger, together.
It's also an incredibly fresh idea. Aside from the novelty of trying your hand at pixel art, imagining oneself as a beat' em up character has a strange appeal. As a matter of fact, it's hard not to be original with a prompt like that. You're allowed to express things about yourself that wouldn't fit in a "normal" self-portrait. Ideas that would seem "odd" elsewhere are perfectly at home within the fighting game context.

Finally, everyone's doing it now. It lends a sense of belonging. It's not just a trend, anymore, it has become a dA rite of passage and I, for one, can say that I've never been happier to be a member of this community.