Java Reference
In-Depth Information
JavaScript Development Ideas
Now that you've learned how to program in JavaScript, you might be thinking what next?
You need a project! But what? In this section, we'll look at what you can do with your newly
acquired programming skills.
JavaScript has evolved so much in recent years. It's no longer considered to be just an easy
scripting language used to add a drop-down menu and a few effects to a web page, although
it is still perfectly fine to use it for this.
The following ideas are intended to get your creative juices flowing and, I trust, spark an
idea for a project. It is by no means a complete list of what you can do with JavaScript—the
possibilities are endless and only limited by your imagination.
HTML5 Game Development
The advent of HTML5 has heralded a massive growth in online games written in JavaScript
and using other HTML5 technologies. Previously, most online games were written using
Flash as JavaScript was considered too slow. The adoption of Canvas as well as faster
JavaScript engines now means that HTML5 games can compete with native applications.
The development of WebGL and browser GPUs means that fast, rendered 3D games in the
browser are now a realistic possibility.
For the launch of Internet Explorer 9, Microsoft teamed up with Zepto labs to create a bril-
liant version of
Cut the Rope
that could run in a browser using only HTML5 technologies.
This is a terrific example of what can be done, but games need not be overly complex; the
success of
Flappy Bird
shows that a good idea that's well implemented can be incredibly
popular. There are lots of examples of different styles of game at
js13kGames,
an annual
competition where all the games must be written in 13 kilobytes or less (including all the
code, graphics, and sounds!).
There are many libraries that help to write HTML5 game code. A couple of excellent ones
If you're interested in writing an HTML5 game, you can find lots of useful information at
