Chapter 1, An Overview of HTML5, explains what HTML5 is, and how it fits into the Open Web platform paradigm. It also introduces the three pillars of HTML5, namely the new HTML elements, CSS3, and new JavaScript APIs.

Chapter 2, HTML5 Typography, introduces the first game in the book, namely, a DOM-based typography game. The main HTML5 features described in the chapter include web forms, metadata, web fonts, transitions, animation, text shadow, box shadow, window.JSON, and querySelector.

Chapter 3, Understanding the Gravity of HTML5, builds a basic jelly-wobbling gravity game. This chapter includes a discussion of cross-browser support, polyfills, and how to get around different API implementations among different browsers. The main HTML5 features described in the chapter include web audio, SVG graphics, and drag-and-drop.

Chapter 4, Using HTML5 to Catch a Snake, creates a traditional snake game using the new HTML5 canvas element, with its accompanying 2D rendering context. Other HTML5 features described in the chapter include web workers, offline storage, and RequestAnimationFrame.

Chapter 5, Improving the Snake Game, builds on the same game created in the previous chapter, adding features such as window messaging, web storage, local storage, session storage, and IndexedDB.

Chapter 6, Adding Features to Your Game, focuses the discussion on advanced HTML5 concepts, as well as the latest features. Although no game is built in this chapter, the JavaScript and CSS APIs described represent the current state of the art in HTML5 and web development. The major features described in the chapter include WebGL, web sockets, video, geolocation, CSS shaders, CSS columns, and CSS regions and exclusions.

Chapter 7, HTML5 and Mobile Game Development, concludes the book by building a 2D space shooter game completely optimized for mobile game play. The focus of the chapter is mobile-specific considerations in web development, including a discussion about the differences between desktop and mobile platforms. The major HTML5 features described in the chapter include media queries and touch events.

Setting up the Environment, walks through the setup of a local web development environment, including installing an open source Apache server. In addition to setting up the development environment, it demonstrates how to build a web portal using the new HTML5 elements, from which we can access the games developed throughout the book. This chapter is available online at: http://www.packtpub.com/sites/default/files/downloads/Setting_up_the_Environment.pdf.

You need the latest version of a modern web browser, which, at the time of writing' includes Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Opera, and Internet Explorer (at least Version 10). You also need a basic text editor of your choice, although any code editing software you may be familiar with will also suffice. Prior knowledge of, or experience with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript is helpful, but not required.

This book is primarily written for developers with prior experience with game development, who are now making the transition to HTML5. The focus of the book is not the complexities and theories of game development, but rather, it focuses on helping the reader learn HTML5, and how the Open Web platform can be a means to reaching billions of users world-wide.

In this book, you will find a number of styles of text that distinguish between different kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles, and an explanation of their meaning.

Code words in text are shown as follows: "We can include other contexts through the use of the include directive."

A block of code is set as follows:

[<div id="wrapper">
  <div id="header"></div>
  <div id="body">
    <div id="main_content">
      <p>Lorem Ipsum...</p>
    </div>
    <div id="sidebar"></div>
  </div>
  <div id="footer"></div>
</div>

When we wish to draw your attention to a particular part of a code block, the relevant lines or items are set in bold:

<input type="text" name="firstName" value="First Name" class="hint-on"
       onblur="if (this.value == '') {

New terms and important words are shown in bold. Words that you see on the screen, in menus or dialog boxes, for example, appear in the text like this: "clicking the Next button moves you to the next screen".

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To send us general feedback, simply send an e-mail to <[email protected]>, and mention the book title via the subject of your message.

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