Core HTML5 2D Game Programming

by David M. Geary

Game programming offers a wealth of creative and business opportunities, and it’s never been more accessible. In Core HTML5 2D Game Programming, best-selling author David Geary shows you how to use freely available browser tools and open source resources to create video games that run in desktop browsers and on mobile devices. Geary walks you step by step through every aspect of implementing a sophisticated arcade-style game entirely from scratch, without using proprietary game frameworks. Packed with code, this full-color tutorial gives you the in-depth understanding you need to design and build any kind of HTML5 2D game on your own, whether you use a framework or not. A clearly written, accessible, and exhaustive guide to implementing games, this book leaves no stone unturned, showing you how to Through expertly written code that’s easy to understand, and prose that cuts to the chase, Geary illuminates every corner of game development. Everyone from novice game programmers to professional game developers will find this book invaluable as both a tutorial and a reference. All of the book’s source code, including chapter-specific versions of the game discussed in the book, are available at corehtml5games.com.

615 pages, Paperback

First published January 24, 2014

Reviews

[Titan Auxolust · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite what many people think when they encounter books about game development, this is not a book about game design, but rather an introduction to game engine architecture .This book contains a wealth of information for those acquainted with javascript programming and have at least passing knowledge of the underlying mechanics of game programming, but this is not a book aimed at amateurs. This book is designed for intermediate usage, containing numerous tidbits that are stepping stones for higher advancement. Introduction and explanation of optimization techniques, advanced spatial partioning and touch based controls for mobile devices serve as launching pads for improvements for your own game engines that you can write if you heed the author's advice.

Coming from a background of game development myself I will admit that I am fairly biased in this review, knowing near all the techniques laid out in this book, however there are a number of "Aaah" moments where I noticed small improvements I could introduce to my workflow that I usually ignore for the sake of speed such as the extensive developer backdoor and debugging code.

If I had to find fault with this book, it would be twofold .Firstly the book doesn't contain references to current advances to game engine design for HTML5 leveraging web workers, local storage and other generalized game engine design, though I can understand the time and size constraints this would impose, and secondly with the examples developed for the book. Whilst I understand and sympathize with the choices that were made, many who follow this book will probably not find the demos interesting or engaging from a gameplay and asset standpoint which may affect how they view the author's writing on game programming, but if you're willing to look beyond what has been presented to you and instead think of the possibilities of your own implementation following the lessons in this book, you will find this a great introduction to writing basic 2D engines in javascript, with enough generalised knowledge to carry over to basic engines in other languages.

Final thoughts, if you're starting out with game development and want to go on a hands on journey through basic game architecture design to help you ultimately develop your own HTML 5 games, this book is for you