The Web Game Developer’s Cookbook: Using JavaScript and HTML5 to Develop Games

Introduction

Games used to require specialized tools to produce. Now all you need is a browser and a text editor. Even outside of HTML5 games, the time and cost to make a game has dropped so dramatically that people can now build games in hours or days. The indie game developer scene is growing, as are game jams, the online and in-person get-togethers for rapid game making.

The typical time frame for a game jam is 48 hours, as codified by larger distributed events such as Global Game Jam and Ludum Dare. But game designers (by definition) like to invent their own rules, so some jams can be as short as 1 hour long. Besides the social and collaborative benefits, game creators forcing themselves to create a game quickly can make them faster the next ...