A browser game is a video game that is played via the internet using a web browser.[1] They are mostly free-to-play and can be single-player or multiplayer. Alternative names for the browser game genre reference their software platform used, with common examples being Flash games,[2] and HTML5 games.[3][4]
Some browser games are also available as mobile apps, PC games, or on consoles. For users, the advantage of the browser version is not having to install the game; the browser automatically downloads the necessary content from the game's website. However, the browser version may have fewer features or inferior graphics compared to the others, which are usually native apps. Browser games also had a huge influence on independent video games.
The front end of a browser game is what runs in the user's browser. It is implemented with the standard web technologies of HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and WebAssembly. In addition, WebGL and WebGPU enable more sophisticated graphics. On the back end, numerous server technologies can be used.
Most browser games were originally created with Adobe Flash, but as Adobe Flash was shut down on December 31, 2020, special browser plug-ins are now required.[5][6][7] Thousands of these games have been preserved by the Flashpoint project.[8][9] The emulation plug-in Ruffle aims to continue browser accessibility of Flash games.[10]
- ^ D Schultheiss: Long-term motivations to play MMOGs: A longitudinal study on motivations, experience and behavior, page 344. DiGRA, 2007.
- ^ Pot, Justin. "How to Play All of Those Old Flash Games You Remember". Wired.
- ^ "GameSnacks are Google's new HTML5 games designed for bad internet connections". 14 February 2020.
- ^ "Korean game startup Pangalore targets HTML5 games". 15 November 2011.
- ^ "Google Chrome 88 released: RIP Flash Player". Retrieved 29 January 2021.
- ^ "End of support for Adobe Flash". Mozilla. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
- ^ Tyagi, Anubhav (2021-11-11). "15 Best Adobe Flash Player Alternatives/Replacement In 2024". TechWorm. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
- ^ Bailey, Dustin (February 1, 2020). "Every Flash game disappears forever in 2020 – but this project has preserved 38,000 of them". PCGamesN. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
- ^ Morton, Lauren (January 31, 2020). "Flashpoint launcher is saving Flash games from impending extinction". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
- ^ "Ruffle - Flash Emulator". ruffle.rs. Retrieved 2024-11-21.