Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Learning
HTML5
through
game
development
In this topic we will learn all about HTML5. We'll learn what each feature is meant to
do and how you can use them. More than that, however, we want to make this teach-
ing process fun, simple, and memorable. Thus, our approach might be somewhat dif-
ferent than most other topics.
If you pay close attention to the way most teachers and authors teach new concepts,
you will notice the following pattern: first the topic is explained, then, in an attempt to
solidify the student's understanding of the material just covered, an example is giv-
en in order to show how the subject may be applied. The problem is that often this
example is neither useful nor usable. For example, in computer programming topics,
you will see a common theme describing animals, food, or other abstract concepts
that do not lend themselves well in real-world application. Thus, the student may be-
come frustrated by the lack of real-world applications.
The key to effective learning, then, is a good example or use cases where the student
may apply the newly acquired information. This way, when the student finds himself or
herself in a real-world situation when their new skill could indeed be applied, they may
readily recognize the opportunity and use the knowledge just gained. Furthermore, if
the learning process is too abstract and theoretical, the student tends to get distracted
or even bored. If the teaching process is involving and fun, on the other hand, the stu-
dent is more likely to remember the concepts, but better yet, he or she is more likely
to understand what is being taught.
Our approach in this topic will be slightly different than what you might be accustomed
to, in that we will focus most of our efforts not in listing as much theoretical information
as we can about HTML5 and all that it involves, but rather in illustrating each topic
through a fun game.
Why teach HTML5 through game development, you ask? There are many reasons for
this. For starters, games are fun. Game development, although some of your friends
might disagree, is also fun and very rewarding. Also, it just so happens that most of
the features of HTML5 lend themselves so well to game development, that teaching
HTML5 and not making the application for games is also rude. Finally, games are
so fun, that learning a new programming technology through game development will
