Browser game development

The popularity of social networks has opened up a new market for HTML5 games, which have replaced the outdated flash games. Thanks to improved JavaScript technology and the emergence of many new APIs, developers have the opportunity to create not only casual games for the browser, but also powerful multi-user projects that are not much inferior to native ones written in C ++ and C #. 3D shooters, RPGs, exciting strategies – now it’s all available on the most popular platform in the world.

Browser games can exist not only as separate projects. They are often used by companies to gamify marketing and engage customers more effectively.

The growing popularity of browser projects is largely due to the benefits they provide to publishers. Here is some of them:

• Games developed in HTML5 work on any device that has a browser, including smartphones, PCs, tablets, and even smart TVs.
• Marketing of browser games is not limited to project promotion in app stores. They can be advertised all over the Internet, which makes it much easier to attract players.

• Browser updates do not require additional verification in the PlayMarket and AppStore, which is why they can develop much faster.
• Reduced fees for in-game payments.
• Improved analytics collection, not limited to standard metrics.
• Gamers can enter the game from different devices without losing game progress, since all data is stored on the server.
• HTML5 game development is much faster compared to IOS and Android projects.

There are many open source APIs and libraries on the market today that greatly speed up the production process and save money. Which technologies to use in a project is often determined by the development team, since this issue requires a deep understanding of the context. Consider the most popular tools:

• Javascript. An open source programming language that is used in almost all modern web projects. It is fully integrated with HTML and CSS, and makes it possible to partially process pages on the user’s computers without requests to the backend, which significantly reduces the load on the server and provides an instant interface response to the gamer’s actions.
• HTML and CSS. Technology helps to create a user-friendly game interface. At the same time, the HTML <canvas> element is one of the main ways to create 2D graphics.
• Full Screen API. Allows you to open the game in full screen size to ensure the maximum immersion of the user in the gameplay.
• Gamepad API. The tool allows you to use additional controllers for the game, such as a gamepad.

• Web Audio API. Gives unlimited possibilities for managing audio files from JavaScript code. With it, you can create excellent sound effects and manipulate them in real time.
• IndexedDB. Powerful API needed to store in-game data on the user’s local device. Thanks to its use, there is no need to download all the information from the server each time, which saves traffic and makes the project playable even when the Internet is turned off.
• WebGL. Allows you to create hardware-accelerated 2D and 3D graphics from web content.
  web workers. A popular API that allows you to create background threads to execute
• JavaScript code. With it, you can use several cores on the device’s processor at once and significantly increase the performance of the project.

Most game projects are created with the aim of making a profit, so it is important to choose the right monetization model before starting development. According to statistics, freemium projects now dominate the mobile games market. They provide gamers with free access to the main mechanics, but the rest of the variety of content can only be obtained for money. For example, character skins, in-game currency, and so on can be paid.

However, there are other ways to monetize:

• Banner advertising. For most mobile games, ads continue to be the main monetization strategy, but lately they have become too annoying for players, which can cause more problems than good.
• Built-in purchases. The ability for players to purchase internal content for a fixed fee. A simple and honest way to save gamers from annoying ads.

• Subscription and seasonal cards. Many publishers continue to ignore this method, but according to recent forecasts, it will soon become the most relevant format for monetizing games. There are several ways to implement it: paying for a monthly subscription for the absence of commercials, for example, the Shadow Fight 3 project went this way, and the second option is paying for a season pass, which opens up access to valuable rewards for completing tasks. The second way went such popular projects as Call of Duty Mobile and RAID.
• Reward for watching promotional videos. An effective and socially acceptable format, when the user himself confirms that he is ready to watch the video for a certain fee. When choosing such a model, it is worth considering the points where and at what stage of the gameplay the offer to view ads will be most relevant for the user. For example, after failing a level to get another try, or to get a valuable in-game resource.

AVADA MEDIA specialists have practical experience in developing and launching browser games. We will help you create a concept, select the optimal technology stack and implement a project of any complexity.

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