HTML5 has been there for quite a while. It is one of the most popular and favorite technologies used by game developers across the world. It is now widely used for game development as it allows the creation of video games that can easily play through web browsers of smartphones and desktops. HTML5 games are cross-platform, and cross-browser enabled. Hence developers get the freedom to write one code and conquer all, with just a bit of personalization in the code for each platform. It has everything a game developer needs, from offline asset storage, 2D & 3D graphics to audio APIs and support for all browsers. With HTML5, developers can build games much faster than native game apps.
Amazing facts about HTML 5 game development
Offers Cross-Platform and Cross-Browser Support
Cross-platform support is a prime reason why developers prefer HTML5. You can create games that adapt to various requirements, such as aspect ratios, screen size, resolutions, etc. HTML5 games not only run on different platforms like iOS, Android, or windows but also run in browsers, like Google Chrome, Opera mobile, Safari, Blackberry browser are some of the examples.
It means you can open a browser in your android mobile or iPhone and enjoy the same game via browser. In short, HTML5 offers the ability to create cross-browser and cross-platform games. It means you’ll have to code once and can deploy the game anywhere.
It’ll not only save you effort but lots of money as well. It’s because you won’t have to create different games for different platforms.
Remote Updates
A great benefit of HTML5 web apps is the fact that updates happen automatically for users, so there is no need for them to update manually. Everyone using or visiting the application will only see the updated version. It gives benefits to all parties, be it the app providers or developers.
Uses WebGL & Canvas
Canvas and Web Graphics Library (WebGL) are the core technologies used in HTML5 game development. Developers heavily rely on these two technologies to create advanced games for web browsers.
Using the Canvas element, developers do a scriptable rendering of 2D shapes and bitmap images, whereas WebGL (a JavaScript API) is used to draw and convert any shapes into 2D or 3D images and render them within web browsers. The beauty of WebGL is that it paves the way to create high-quality, hardware-accelerated 3D graphics without using plug-ins.
Handle Emerging Markets
It was predicted a few years ago that Africa was the world’s second most connected region by Mobile Subscriptions, and in 2015 it will reach one billion.
Therefore Africa is one of the emerging markets. To sustain such a market, you would require a diverse range of devices, so developing applications for each one of them could be a nightmare.
By emerging markets, we mean countries or people who are still developing. As a consequence of their development, technology will become more common. There will be more operating systems, more gadgets, and more demand.
And creating different games for different gadgets sounds rather scary. But with HTML5 game development, it’ll be easy. It offers code reusability, which helps the developers in deploying their games on different platforms.
Makes Promotion Easy
HTML5 game development targets a wider audience. It’s because browsers of different operating systems support the games developed using HTML5. Whenever a developer creates a game, they can promote all the features through a simple website once and for all.
Even sharing HTML5 games is an easy job. You can share a link to a website where gamers visit frequently. There are numerous websites dedicated specifically to HTML5 games. You can visit http://html5games.net/ or http://html5games.com/ to view and play some HTML5 games.
Amazing Frameworks and Game Engines
A game engine is a game framework or software development environment used to create games. Game engines are one of the reasons why Game developers love HTML5 game development.
HTML5 game engines take up some tedious jobs and make the game development process easy. This way, developers need to spend less time creating a fully functional HTML5 game. The game engines and frameworks take care of:
- Audio
- Physics
- Maps
- Animations
- And more
And, all the above is necessary for creating emulators, puzzles, shooting, or poker games. If you’re looking forward to creating HTML5 games, consider the below game engines.
HTML 5 Game Engines
| 2D Games | 3D Games |
|---|---|
| Phaser Game Engine | Play Canvas Game Engine |
| PixiJS Game Engine | Babylon JS Game Engine |
| Game Pencil Engine | Voxel JS Game Engine |
| Impact JS Game Engine | Copper Licht Game Engine |
| Create JS Game Engine | Turbulenz Game Engine |
| Game Maker Studio 2 Game Engine | Three JS Game Engine |
| Construct 2 Game Engine | Egret Game Engine |
If you also want to build for platforms other than the web, the game engines below are among the best for cross-platform HTML5 games.
Cross-Platform Engines
| Unity Game Engine |
| Unreal Game Engine |
| Cocos JS Game Engine |
| Defold Game Engine |
If you are set to create your next HTML5 Game, it definitely makes a lot of sense to know about Engines and Frameworks. And here comes a good news for you- there are many free HTML5 game engines or frameworks- right from minimal to pretty complex there is a lot in store.
So, let’s get right into some of the best HTML5 Game Frameworks and Engines:
Impact: A JavaScript Game Engine that allows you to develop stunning HTML5 Games for desktop and mobile browsers. Impact comes with the versatile Weltmeister Level Editor which eases your game creation process.
Construct 2: It is a powerful ground breaking HTML5 game developer which is specifically designed for 2D games and without any requirement of coding it allows developers to build games.
Phaser: It is a light-weight 2D game framework for making HTML5 games for desktop and mobile browsers.
Crafty: JavaScript HTML5 Game Engine holds great features like collision detection, sprite map support, and much more.
The list extends to other HTML5 Game Frameworks such as EnchantJS, Pulse, MelonJS, LimeJS, Isogenic Game Engine and many more. These stunning HTML5 Game Frameworks are available for 2D and 3D Games. Ranging from light weighted to fully featured gaming engines, there are all sorts of options for you to choose from. Awesome JavaScript Animation Framework Greensock is another boon for Game Developers.
