Software engineer creates classic SimCity-style map of NYC—and argues that AI will be good for creatives, actually

I enjoy a good traced ray, AI-upscaled texture, or 'hallucinated' frame as much as the next person, but I think pixel art remains an important part of any art team's tool kit. Pixel art offers far more than a nostalgic throwback appeal, capable of a level of expression that would give even the most photorealistic polygons a run for their money. So when I stumbled across the Isometric NYC city map project, I was at first properly stoked—and then deeply conflicted.

Isometric NYC is the one-man effort of Andy Coenen...