Javascript Game Foundations - Ten Essentials

Over the last couple of years I’ve written about a number of simple HTML5 javascript games:

• Pong
• Breakout
• Tetris
• Snakes
• BoulderDash
• Outrun
• Gauntlet
• Tiny Platformer
• Rotating Tower Platformer

A couple of those were “finished” games, most were just proof-of-concept prototypes.

I used Javascript and the HTML5 <canvas> element as a convenient technology that is very easy to get started with, and very fast to prototype and get up and running quickly.

There are a growing number of promising HTML5 game frameworks available that will make this an even easier platform to get started with, however frameworks can be a double-edged sword. If your game is simple then perhaps you don’t need a framework…

… perhaps all you need are the following 10 essential foundations for making a pure Javascript HTML5 <canvas> game:

1. A Web Server and a Module Strategy
2. Loading Assets
3. The Game Loop
4. Player Input
5. Math
6. DOM
7. Rendering
8. Sound
9. State Management
10. Juiciness

Over the course of the next 10 articles (and 10 days) I will show you a simple, framework-free, approach to implementing these 10 essential foundations.

Come back each day this week for a new exciting installment…