Why Convert Flash Games to HTML5?

It is nearing the end of an era for the proprietary Adobe Flash, the computer software that brought online video to the public during the early days of the Internet. The scheduled 2020 phase out is significant because Flash is one of the most commonly used means to watch videos and play online games. This post will come in handy as it explains the need to Convert Flash to HTML5 for games.

The Rise and Fall of Flash

For a long time Flash reigned as the king of casual online games. It is fast and easy to develop and the cross-browser compatibility is unrivalled. However, things changed rapidly as casual games were pushed to launch on mobile platforms. The move of Apple to ban Flash on their devices shook the world. It was all downhill from there for the once formidable application development platform.

HTML5 and Its Strong Suits

HTML5, an umbrella term that includes JavaScript, Canvas, among others, fast became the technology of choice for releasing a genuine cross-platform title. In certain aspects, Adobe's Flash and HTML 5 cannot be more contrasting, as one is proprietary while the other is open source.

Improved Gaming Experience

Converting a game from one platform to another is a great opportunity to make necessary improvements and expand the target audience. Here are some things that can easily be done through HTML5:

Support for Mobile Devices

Converting from Flash to HTML5 gives game developers a chance to reach a broader audience, particularly the users of mobile devices. Based on recent estimates, there are currently more than 5 billion people using mobile devices worldwide. This indicates that roughly 67% of the global population has a mobile device, such as smartphones and tablets.

Fortunately, both iOS and Android devices support HTML5 so 60 FPS rendering (or higher) can be achieved easily. In majority of cases, 60 FPS don’t cause any issues and will only get better as mobile devices become more prevalent, advanced and powerful.

Boosting Performance

When comparing Flash and HTML5, the latter is definitely faster. Converting to HTML5 also presents an excellent opportunity to revisit the algorithms used in the game code. With HTML5, you will be able to optimize the code or strip the unused code left by the original game developers.

Fixing Bugs and Improving Gameplay

With new developers inspecting and analyzing the source code, existing bugs can be fixed and new ones can be discovered. This will make playing HTML5 games less annoying for users, which will make them stay longer on your website and encourage them to check out and try other games.

Integrating Web Analytics

Aside from tracking traffic, web analytics can also be used to understand the behaviour of players and where they usually get stuck during gameplay. You will be able to determine which games are more popular and which ones are going out of style. You can then tweak your selection and advertise for a specific set of games over another.

Is HTML5 a Programming Language?

It is important to note that HTML5 is not a programming language, in spite of the commonly used phrase ‘HTML5 apps’, the games are programmed using the JavaScript language.  HTML5 delivers application program interfaces (APIs) for solutions like Canvas, WebAudio or WebGL. These are the ones responsible for key elements within game development, enabling them to run in the browser. Thanks to a multitude of possibilities, HTML5 games are really impressive, very efficient and playable.

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