Hey folks,

It seems that starting this September, we'll be seeing a number of new game-programming books geared toward HTML5 and JavaScript. Here is a list of some of those books:

"Foundation HTML5 Animation with JavaScript" by Billy Lamberta and Keith Peters -- I have the ActionScript "version" of this book, and the stuff in there is very, very good. It mostly deals with 2D animation techniques and physics, but also has a little 3D mixed in. The new version targets JavaScript.

"Making Isometric Social Real-Time Games with HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript" by Mario Andres Pagella -- This title pretty much says it all... This relatively brief book promises to cover building a social real-time game in an isometric perspective, using HTML5 tech.

"HTML5 Games Development by Example: Beginner's Guide" by Makzan -- This one is a pricier entry into the HTML5 game development domain that claims to cover a lot of ground, including real-time networking and Box2D physics.

"HTML Graphics with SVG & CSS3" by Kurt Cagle -- While not really a game development tome, it does cover next-gen Web graphics with SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) and CSS3.

"Learning HTML5 Game Programming: Build Online Games with Canvas, SVG, and WebGL" by James L. Williams -- This one appears to go more into the 3D aspect of HTML5/Canvas, including a section on the JavaScript 3D graphics/math library Three.js.

And that's pretty much it. There may be others announced soon. If you can't wait, the following books are already available:

"The Essential Guide to HTML5: Using Games to Learn HTML5 and JavaScript" by Jeanine Meyer -- A book that assumes no prior HTML or JavaScript experience, and uses a game-centric approach to learning.

"Foundation HTML5 Canvas for Games and Entertainment" by Rob Hawkes -- Another book that takes you from ground level, and shows you the ropes to get started.

"Supercharged JavaScript Graphics with HTML5 Canvas and jQuery" by Raffaele Cecco -- Covers some game development, along with jQuery, and using PhoneGap for porting HTML5 apps to mobile devices.

"HTML5 Canvas" by Steve Fulton and Jeff Fulton -- Currently the only "HTML5 Canvas Reference Manual" in dead-tree format. Covers the Canvas element, along with game math and physics; video and audio; PhoneGap; 3D with WebGL; and multi-player games with the ElectroServer 5 API.

That pretty much covers this year's crop of books geared toward graphics/game-development with HTML5 and JavaScript. If you find any other books coming out this year that fits that category, please let me know!

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What most people don't understand about "enlightenment" is that it is not an end-goal; but where you find yourself just before taking a new "first step."

Been debating whether or not it would be worth it to look into HTML5. May wait until I seem one pop up on Books 24x7 so I can check it out for free.

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Bored? Head on over to my blog and see what I'm up to.

Microsoft XNA MVP

What are your needs/expectations? I have been playing with HTML5 for a few months, so I might be able to help you figure out whether it will fit you.

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What most people don't understand about "enlightenment" is that it is not an end-goal; but where you find yourself just before taking a new "first step."

My needs and expectations would be a truly cross-platform environment for PC game dev that's easier but more robust than XNA. I know that already there are browser issues so I'm just wondering if it's only going to get worse, not better.

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Bored? Head on over to my blog and see what I'm up to.

Microsoft XNA MVP

Browsers are becoming more adherent to standards, so times are getting better as far as cross-browser compatibility. Not perfect, but better.

Also, different browsers are taking different paths to compliance. The HTML5 Canvas has been fully implemented in Firefox (including WebGL support) since 4.0 (and sans-WebGL since probably 3.0), and has been in Chrome and Opera for a long time. Internet Explorer 9 is the first Microsoft version to support Canvas, but still doesn't have WebGL implemented.

Of course, you get the benefit that a lot of mobile devices have browsers that support HTML5 really well. Of course, you can also convert HTML5 apps to native apps using tools like PhoneGap.

As for being easier than XNA, I would say it is. There are some quirks that make things different, but that goes with anything. As for more robust, I don't know if *more* is the right word... both methods are quite different in the benefits they offer. HTML5 can run in more places more easily, but XNA is still a bit more "mature" as far as 3D goes (WebGL is supported by most browsers, but a lot of graphics drivers aren't yet supported).

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What most people don't understand about "enlightenment" is that it is not an end-goal; but where you find yourself just before taking a new "first step."

By the way, earlier this month, the mastermind behind http://nihilogic.dk/ released his HTML5 game programming tome. It's available on Amazon and other bookstores, with a retail of $39.99 (street price about $25). I got this book as soon as it became available, and have been working through it. I'm not quite half-way through the book yet, but this, my friends, is the HTML5 game programming book we've been waiting for.

The game is nothing exciting (a Jewel Quest clone, through-and-through), but the important aspect -- learning to create a fully featured game with HTML5 -- is covered, and covered well. It includes standard HTML5/CSS3 and JavaScript coverage (including Canvas, Audio, embedded fonts, WebWorkers, WebSockets, Local Storage, and so on), as well as nifty info on getting your game to work properly on mobile devices such as iDevices and Android devices. WebGL is covered in raw form, though Three.js is mentioned in the back of the book (along with Box2D and Impact). Also included is information on mobile deployment with PhoneGap and Appcelerator Titanium; distribution on several channels (including Chrome Web Store, the Android Market, and the Apple App Store), and much more.

I've gone through the first several chapters, and you will be pleased to know that the code listings are (so far) flawless. I like to "transfer" book code to the IDE by typing it out, and other than User Error, the samples have all worked flawlessly.

The title of the book is "HTML5 Games: Creating Fun with HTML5, CSS3, and WebGL", by NihiLogic author Jacob Seidelin. If you are at all interested in HTML5 game development, and want a good, solid book to guide you through the process -- this is currently *the* book to own. Hands down.

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What most people don't understand about "enlightenment" is that it is not an end-goal; but where you find yourself just before taking a new "first step."

Sounds pretty good. There's only one review on Amazon so far, but it's positive.

Must get the Amazon wiki plug in working again so we can list these resources.

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10 PRINT "Bad Monkey ";
20 GOTO 10

I just finished replying to an email I received from Jacob Seidelin (author of "HTML5 Games: Creating Fun with HTML5, CSS3, and WebGL") that he sent to me after seeing my mini-review here. That reminded me to update this review a bit, so here goes:

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I just completed Chapter 9, and have a playable version of the game exercise. I've still only encountered one error in the code (a function call was given improper parameters), but the code download from the Web site came in handy tracking down the problem.

Jacob Seidelin truly holds no punches with this stuff -- he really went all out to guide you through creating a *complete* game, with all the bells and whistles. Even though it is a Jewel Quest clone, Jacob goes the extra mile with visual effects, really groovy JavaScript patterns and clean code, and laying down techniques for getting games to play nice on mobile devices.

One thing I really like is the writing style -- the explanations are brief, but to the point. He doesn't ever use too many words to explain a topic or technique, yet still always manages to properly communicate the idea behind the how and the why. Whereas the Fullton & Fullton book, "HTML5 Canvas" was, by far, overly verbose. The book is like 600+ pages, but probably could have been condensed to about 250. Jacob's book is 440 pages total, and is a lot more complete, and much more satisfying.

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I plan to do something I rarely do -- write a product review on Amazon -- once I have gone through more of the book (unfortunately, the WebGL chapters aren't an option for me due to lame Intel GMA graphics limitations). In the meantime, I still heartily recommend Jacob's book if you're at all interested in learning how to write games with HTML5!

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What most people don't understand about "enlightenment" is that it is not an end-goal; but where you find yourself just before taking a new "first step."

Are you on commission?

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10 PRINT "Bad Monkey ";
20 GOTO 10

They keep promising me fish heads! Where are my fish heads?!

I'm mainly just thoroughly impressed by the book is all. It's one of those few products that metes with the hype (though most of the hype I saw was self-generated... I know NihiLogic's work from his Web site, and it's good stuff. If his book could be as good (which it is!), then we have a winner).

It is a good contrast to the vast majority of prior books covering HTML5, which are underwhelming. "The Essential Guide to HTML5" by Meyer was the first HTML5 game programming book I got, and the code is atrocious (which is a shame given the *excellent* code formatting). "Foundation HTML5 Canvas" by Hawkes is better, but very, very shallow in its content (I already knew every technique in the book before reading it). "HTML5 Canvas" by Fulton&Fulton is more in-depth, but is really too long -- the same content could have been condensed rather easily, and the book is twice as long as it needs to be given the depth of content.

I could go on, but you get the idea. NihiLogic's book is a breath of fresh air -- and the first HTML5 game programming book to come along that is truly worth the price of admission.

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What most people don't understand about "enlightenment" is that it is not an end-goal; but where you find yourself just before taking a new "first step."

Fixed the Amazon info box extension.

http://content.gpwiki.org/index.php/HTM ... _and_WebGL

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10 PRINT "Bad Monkey ";
20 GOTO 10

USE CHROME!

HTML5(not really)+CSS3+JS presentation tool/framework-> ImpressJS -> I was blown away (it's 3d!)

For a moment I thought "Web Game Dev can wait"....ashamed... :p

Chrome is the biggest [censored] that ever existed on this planet

[Mod edit and warning] Foul language has no place on GPWiki.

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use chromium or even better xxxterm (if you're into bsd/linux)! google is evil, google is censoring the internet, its the main source for censoring... several thousand websites are censored by google per year alone in germany (i do not have knowledge about the amount of censored websites in china, but i would be surprised if it's more). you don't get number one in the world by being nice. Use duckduckgo.com for search and chromium (or opera, if you do not need the other 2 mouse buttons ;-) ) for html5 development.

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My projects: Gamvas Web - html5 canvas game framework| sge2d - C/C++ 2D SDL game framework