Applying 'video game theory' to social space, gaming company Denki, with the help of design agency Uniform, commissioned brightly illuminated single-pixel donation boxes, dubbed Pixel Artcade, which have been designed to encourage giving at the Dundee Contemporary Arts Centre.
Dropping money into one of the boxes breaks a laser that triggers a change in pixel colour, briefly flashing a thank you message up to the donor.  Each donation continues the chain along the RGB colour wheel until a triadic combination - where three colours are equally spaced - is found, at which point a hidden game is initiated, subtly gamifying an otherwise simple action.
Denki closely studied donations at the DCA. After looking at the takings and conducting a series of interviews, the company learned that giving was just not a high priority to many visitors in free public spaces. Deciding the problem was a lack of engagement rather than empty pockets, it explored ideas for boosting the generosity of passers-by, ultimately commissioning Uniform to build something interactive, engaging and aesthetically pleasing.
Pixel Artcade was funded through the Digital R&D Fund for Arts Organisation and in collaboration with the University of Dundee's chair of creative technology, professor Jon Rogers, and Patrick Stevenson-Keating at London design house, Studio PSK.

In other, recent pixel news, the Leblox app serves up augmented reality tasters of 3D printed pixellated miniatures, that suggests the appeal for nostalgic graphics is far from waning.