What is a game? Why do you play games? What happens when you play games? Do you feel excited? Frustrated? Challenged? Games are more than just entertainment - they are fundamental to how we learn and grow. From childhood to adulthood, games help us develop skills, test our limits, and engage with the world in ways that few other activities can. Not all games are created equal - different games teach us different things. Some sharpen our reflexes, others train our strategic thinking, and some immerse us in rich narratives that expand our imagination. But writing games can be just as rewarding and challenging as playing the game! When I ask my students in computer graphics to choose a project, many of them want to develop a video game. And why not? A well-designed game can be just as rigorous and complex as any 'serious' software project - if not more! The next question they ask is, 'How do I write a video game?' That's why I wrote this book - to provide a practical guide to game development, breaking it down into clear, approachable steps. Computer games are not just about interactive graphics; they are carefully crafted experiences that blend mechanics, design, and challenges together to keep players engaged. Fortunately, modern computers - and even mobile devices - are powerful enough so anyone can create their own games. With the right skills, knowledge, and patience, anyone can build something amazing. This book will help you develop those skills and expand your knowledge - the patience part is up to you. To make learning accessible and experimentation easy, I've chosen to write the examples in JavaScript using the HTML Canvas API. This allows you to run games directly in a web browser, making them easy to edit, test, and share. Don't underestimate what a web browser can do - it provides access to a vast range of built-in resources and makes rapid prototyping simple. The concepts you learn here can be built upon or adapted to other languages and platforms.
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There is a strong reading opportunity in the space between Books and Computers & Technology. “How To Write Retro Games: Web-Programming” brings those listed subjects onto the same shelf and gives your next question a place to start. Games bring rules, feedback, and interaction into a single working experience. Give the reading a playful destination: one mechanic or interaction that you can explain, change, and share. Start with the question that interests you most. A useful first session might produce one clear definition, one diagram, or one example you want to explore. That is enough to give the next page a purpose. Pick a question. Open a book. See where it takes you.
Explore Books, Computers & Technology, Web Development & Design with a reading approach that gives the ideas somewhere to go. Games bring rules, feedback, and interaction into a single working experience. Give the reading a playful destination: one mechanic or interaction that you can explain, change, and share.
The listed 102 pages give a sense of extent; page count alone does not establish depth or difficulty.
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How to Write Retro Games - Web Programming (Paperback) offers a comprehensive and in-depth guide that walks you through the concepts, applications, and best practices. With a strong focus on hands-on examples and real-world relevance, it empowers you to not just learn the theory but to apply it in meaningful ways across graphics, compute, and more.
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