Canvas games

HTML5 games are very popular because they can be played directly in the browser, instant messengers or social networks, without the need to download and install anything on your device. For their development, different technologies can be used, one of which is Canvas. This is an HTML5 element that allows you to create dynamic graphics, animations and videos in real time.

Unlike the legacy Flash, Canvas is built right into the HTML and is natively supported by browsers as well as being part of the DOM. This allows developers to create incredibly responsive interfaces, and gamers the ability to play without installing additional modules, such as a flash player.

In addition, Canvas apps can be viewed across devices including Android, iOS, and PC without additional modifications.

Despite all its advantages, Canvas is still not intended for the development of large projects. For example, it will not work to create an MMORPG or MOBA game on it, but various casual and hyper-casual games look quite organic on it. Consider the most popular genres where this technology is applicable.

Puzzle

Such games cover a huge market share – at least 50% of smartphone users have at least one puzzle. Projects of this genre involve a person in the gameplay as much as possible, and in order to win they are forced to use their logic and ingenuity. Examples: Candy Crush Saga, Cut the Rope, Love Poly.

Card games

They can act as a digital analogue of traditional card games or offer gamers unique stories and game mechanics related to collecting and virtual battles. Popular projects in this genre: Hearthstone, inspired by the Warcraft universe, Legends of Runeterra.

Arcade

Games with intense gameplay, which at the same time are distinguished by simple and understandable mechanics. The main goal of projects in this genre is to clear levels and collect bonuses, often for a limited time.

Arcade games are divided into several sub-genres: runners, clickers, and rhythm games.

Quests

These are adventure games, the main components of which are the story, exploration of the world and the completion of various tasks. Quite often, such projects include elements of puzzles that are designed to increase engagement.

The choice of a game genre often determines the success of a future project, so at this stage it is important to take into account not only your own preferences, but also other, more measurable factors:

• Market trends. The ability to analyze trends and predict trends will help you avoid outdated ideas that may leave the markets in the near future and focus on really promising options. For example, according to current forecasts, the demand for 3D technologies will increase in the near future, so it is better to refuse 2D games.
• Budget. Taking into account the high competition in the market of mobile and browser games, it is unlikely that it will be possible to create a worthwhile project with minimal budgets. Therefore, you need to be able to objectively assess financial opportunities and adjust the choice of genre, since games with simpler mechanics and technical requirements require less investment.

• Competitors. Some niches are filled with top-tier games, and to compete with them will require large investments in a short time to release a project before a competitor releases a more interesting version. In some cases, in order to save the budget, it will be more rational to choose another option.
• Project goals. Some Canvas games are created to support a company’s business goals. For example, to gamify customer acquisition. In this case, you need to choose a genre that can better reveal the benefits of the product and become a reliable source of new leads.
• Developer options. Different technologies can be used to create games, so it is important to make sure that the development team has all the necessary skills to implement it. AVADA MEDIA will be able to bring to life a project of any scale, not only on HTML5, but also for any other platforms, including native ones on IOS and Android.

The development of a browser game can take several months, depending on the complexity and workload of the project with game mechanics. This process can be divided into 6 main steps.

Step 1. Analysis and planning

Game development begins long before the programmer writes the first line of code. At the beginning of the journey, the market is analyzed, the target audience, genre and budget of the future project are determined.

Step 2. Choosing a monetization strategy

Most games are created for the purpose of making a profit, so you need to choose the most appropriate monetization model, taking into account the platforms on which the project will be hosted. There are several main approaches:

• Advertising integration. Promotional videos at the right points in the gameplay and unobtrusive banner ads will generate income and, importantly, will become acceptable to the gamers themselves.
• Paid subscription. The player pays a subscription every month to get unlimited access to game content without ads.
• In-game purchases. Internal currency, character skins and any other content can be sold to users for real money.

At the same time, it is important to take into account the limitations of the platforms where the project is planned to be placed. For example, the Telegram messenger prohibits the integration of links to third-party resources in games.

Step 3. Development of the gameplay

To ensure the popularity of the game, you need to create an exciting gameplay which will capture the attention of users and keep them interested for a long time.

Step 4. Game design

In game design, you need to deeply work on difficulty levels, characters, and the entire user journey. This will make the project special and help it stand out from the competition.

Step 5. Production

At this stage, character and environment designs are created, animations are created, and the gameplay is animated with the help of program code. The most commonly used programming language for developing games on Canvas is JavaScript.

Step 6. Testing

After development, the project is checked for bugs by the QA department in order to provide gamers with a positive user experience after release.

The gamedev market is constantly growing, and by the end of 2021 its volume exceeded $180 billion, which makes it attractive for new investments. If you have an idea for your own project, please contact AVADA MEDIA. Our specialists have experience in creating games for different platforms and operating systems, and will be able to implement a project of any complexity.