Why I Built PixelDeck — A Home for Pixel Artists, Indie Developers, and Browser Games
There are a lot of places to share pixel art.
There are also a lot of places to publish indie games.
But I always felt like something was missing.
Artists post their work on one platform. Developers publish their games somewhere else. Players discover them somewhere completely different. And communities usually end up scattered across Discord servers, social media, game portals, and portfolio websites.
So I started building PixelDeck.
PixelDeck is my attempt to create one place where pixel artists, indie developers, and players can actually exist together.
And it started much smaller than what it is becoming today.
It Started With Pixel Art
The original idea was simple:
Create a place where pixel artists could upload their work, discover other artists, and build a small community around pixel art.
But while working on it, I kept asking myself:
Why should it just be another image gallery?
Pixel art is deeply connected to games.
A lot of pixel artists create game assets.
A lot of indie developers need pixel artists.
And a lot of people who love pixel art also love retro and indie games.
So PixelDeck slowly started growing beyond a traditional gallery.
A 3D Museum for Pixel Art
One of the stranger ideas I had was:
What if looking at pixel art felt more like visiting a museum?
That eventually became the PixelDeck 3D Museum.
Instead of only scrolling through images, you can explore a virtual environment where community artwork can be displayed.
I wanted PixelDeck to feel like a place you can actually visit rather than just another feed.
That philosophy eventually influenced almost every feature on the platform.
Personal 3D Galleries
Artists can also create their own galleries.
Instead of simply having a profile containing a grid of images, the idea is that creators can build a small virtual exhibition around their work.
Walls, floors and decorations can be customized, turning a portfolio into something closer to a tiny interactive space.
It is still evolving, but I really like the idea that two artists can upload similar artwork while presenting it in completely different environments.
Then Came the Arcade
At some point I realized something else.
Many indie developers create small browser games that are surprisingly difficult to discover.
Platforms like itch.io are fantastic, but I thought PixelDeck could offer something slightly different.
So I started building an Arcade.
Developers can upload browser games and players can launch them directly through PixelDeck.
Inside the platform there is even a virtual arcade environment where the games appear as arcade machines.
The goal isn't to compete with the huge game platforms.
The goal is to create a smaller space where experimental indie games and pixel games can actually get noticed.
PixelScript Studio
This eventually led to probably one of the most ambitious parts of PixelDeck:
PixelScript Studio.
I love fantasy consoles like PICO-8 and TIC-80.
They make game development feel approachable.
You don't open a massive engine and immediately face hundreds of menus.
You write some code.
You draw a sprite.
You press run.
And suddenly something exists.
That feeling is incredible.
PixelScript Studio is my attempt to bring something similar directly into PixelDeck.
The idea is to provide a small retro game-development environment containing things like:
- a code editor
- sprite editing
- map editing
- sound tools
- cartridges
- game exporting
- leaderboard integration
All directly connected to the platform where the games can eventually be played.
One long-term goal is that someone could discover PixelDeck because they like pixel art, open the Studio out of curiosity, build their first tiny game, and publish it without ever needing to leave the ecosystem.
The Live Canvas
PixelDeck also has a collaborative canvas.
Users can place pixels and slowly build something together.
It sounds simple, but I think features like this are important.
Not everything on a creative platform needs to be about publishing finished work.
Sometimes people just want to participate.
A collaborative canvas gives someone who has never created a complete pixel artwork a way to become part of the community immediately.
Building for Artists AND Players
This is something I underestimated in the beginning.
For a long time I mainly thought about two groups:
pixel artists and developers.
But there is obviously a third group that is just as important:
players.
A game platform without players doesn't work.
An artist community where nobody discovers the artwork doesn't work either.
So PixelDeck is increasingly being designed around discovery.
Someone might arrive because they want to play a browser game.
Then they discover its artist.
Then they explore the artist's gallery.
Then they find another developer.
Then they try the Live Canvas.
That kind of crossover is exactly what I want PixelDeck to become.
The Community Is Still Small
PixelDeck is not a massive platform.
Not even close.
The community is still small, and I'm actively working on growing it.
But I actually think this is one of the most interesting phases of building something like this.
Features can still change quickly.
Feedback from a single person can genuinely influence what gets built next.
Early artists and developers aren't joining a finished ecosystem.
They're helping shape one.
Why Browser Games?
Another thing I'm very interested in is browser gaming.
The browser is an incredibly underrated gaming platform.
There is no installation.
No launcher.
No account download.
Someone sends you a link and seconds later you're playing.
For small indie games, experiments, game jams and retro games, that is extremely powerful.
Modern browsers are also capable of much more than people sometimes realize.
WebGL, WebAudio, WebSockets and modern JavaScript make it possible to build surprisingly complex experiences without installing anything.
PixelDeck itself heavily experiments with that idea.
What I'm Trying to Build
The easiest way to describe PixelDeck today is probably:
A creative playground for pixel art and indie games.
Not just a gallery.
Not just a game portal.
Not just a development tool.
But a place where those things connect.
You can discover pixel art.
You can upload your own work.
You can explore galleries.
You can play browser games.
You can discover indie developers.
You can participate in collaborative pixel art.
And eventually, you might even create your own game directly inside the platform.
There are still a lot of rough edges.
There are still features being redesigned.
And there are probably plenty of things I haven't even thought of yet.
But that's also what makes building it fun.
If You Build Pixel Art or Indie Games
I'd genuinely love to hear what developers and artists think about this idea.
Especially:
What would make a platform like this useful enough for you to actually return regularly?
Better discovery?
Developer tools?
Asset sharing?
Game jams?
Leaderboards?
Social features?
More customization?
Something completely different?
PixelDeck is actively being developed, so feedback at this stage is extremely valuable.
You can check it out here:
If you're a pixel artist, indie developer, browser-game developer, or simply someone who enjoys small experimental games, you're welcome to join us.
The community might still be small.
But hopefully we're building something interesting.
And this is only the beginning.
Top comments (1)
This is exactly what I need! I'm building browser games in HTML5 - palabraplay.netlify.app
I have only 27 impressions in 3 months on Netlify, and waiting for CrazyGames approval. Is PixelDeck open for submissions? I'm looking for portals that accept HTML5 word games.
I will check it out and would love to list my game there. Thanks for building this home for indie devs!