Technology has transformed so many aspects of life, and its effects are greatly felt in how we utilize our leisure time. A major feature of the online gaming industry is innovation. There is a continuous trend where trailblazers lead the way with others following behind in pursuit.
Online casinos relied on Flash technology for so many years, but the onset of HTML5 has ushered in a new era for online gaming. Nowadays, it is the go-to for the development of the best casino games, and many operators are still working towards upgrading their older releases with this new technology.
The term HTML5 is quite common among online casino enthusiasts. You may have come across it but never actually understood its meaning. In this feature, we will give a break-down of this web technology, its benefits, and its impact on the casino industry.
The HTML5 Revolution
Saying that HTML5 is ‘the new’ Flash is a huge understatement. Casino gaming, the land-based minority pastime, has now become a global phenomenon thanks to the technology. Flash is now a thing of the past, as many software providers are leaving it behind.
The new functionality of HTML5 made it possible to get rid of complications that were prominent with the Flash technology. The website and games are both developed to work independently on any browser and across all devices, and the transition from desktop to mobile compatibility is made possible because of it.
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) code is the programming language of the World Wide Web, and HTML5 is the fifth and most recent version launched in 2008. It comprises three elements; HTML, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and JavaScript. The new specs include definitions for interactivity, multimedia, and graphics.
How to Make An HTML5 Game?
We won’t be going into the physics of game development, instead, we will discuss the important things to be aware of when creating HTML5 games.
The basic building blocks for HTML5 include:
- HTML
- CSS
- JavaScript
This set of tools lets us go beyond making a simple website and is ideal for online game development. Casino games that run on modern browsers are products of CSS3 (the latest CSS version) and HTML5 JavaScript APIs like Canvas, Web Audio, and Semantic HTML Tags (Click here to see more about casino software providers). To render interactive 2G and 3G graphics, WebGL is a fully integrated solution that does not require the use of plug-ins. The endless possibilities of these features result in awesome game creations.
The whole abstraction layer of many games is the same, from animations to sounds, graphic assets, and other elements. This is where frameworks come in; they can help you rapidly build 80% of your project. HTML5 game frameworks are Open Source projects that are created and maintained by third parties as a game development environment. It is an application skeleton with functionality like storage, events, and data binding already provided for you. With the building components of frameworks, you can focus on developing your actual game idea.
There are several such game engines available with various programming languages, so it is important to pick the right one that suits your needs.
Benefits of HTML5
- Multi-platform compatibility is the most notable benefit of HTML5 for online casino gaming, but there is more to it than that. The basic HTML5 technology offers greater speed, a higher level of security, and overall better gaming experience.
- The supporting software used for Flash is no longer required because the new programming language can manipulate audio and video content in addition to text and images. It is not the games that pose a danger, but the plug-ins; those clunky additional programs were often insecure.
- HTML5 isn’t proprietary, so game developers do not need to pay royalties before using it. Being an open technology, it is completely free and only requires a simple text editor to code in.
- Unlike Flash, which is a resource-hungry software that puts a strain on PCs while wreaking havoc on mobile devices, HTML5 improves your battery life. This way, you have more time to enjoy your favorite casino games.
- The infamous Flash player was a major offender and had so many security holes. Players needed to make constant upgrades to patch up those holes. It was an easy target for hackers and had a record number of cybercrime incidences. With online casinos converting older games from Flash to HTML5 and using the latter as the basis for developing new ones, nearly all risks of security breaches have been eliminated. You can expect a greater gaming experience with this language. New functionality provides better quality in both audio and graphics. In addition, it takes up less processing power and cuts down on loading time, thereby allowing greater speed.
Online Games Before and After HTML5
The impact of HTML5 is better understood when compared with the preceding technology. Previously, to access an online casino from a mobile device, you required a dedicated app or downloadable software. It is safe to say that it wasn’t very appealing to opt for mobile gaming at that time, especially when playing on multiple sites. iOS users were more affected because Apple did not permit Flash to run on its system. On the contrary, HTML5 works well with all operating systems, iOS included.
The end-users were not the only ones who felt the weaknesses associated with Flash, but a large burden was borne by game developers as well. With HTML5, developers only need to create one version of a game to work on desktops and mobiles. Rather than taking up time to duplicate work, those hours can now be put to productive use by focusing on innovative new features and fresh ideas.
Slots have seen the greatest improvement so far. This versatile category allows the creativity of game developers to shine. Games are designed using vector graphics with a perfectly scalable picture, and that is why the graphics can adjust to fit any screen size. There is also a higher degree of stability and sophistication that enables game developers to release the most innovative games. Casinos can offer the full range of their games on all platforms, from sophisticated 3D video slots to Live Dealer games.
Conclusion
At the forefront of online casino game creation, HTML5 games allow instant play and are multi-device compatible. Its effects are evident in the latest slots, video poker, and classic table game releases, and they appear to be successfully winning over the market. It is the core component for creating website content, and the coding language has laid the groundwork for modern online casino gaming.
