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Core HTML5 2D game programming
Geary D., Prentice Hall Press, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2015. 640 pp. Type: Book (978-0-133564-24-2)
Date Reviewed: Apr 9 2015

David Geary introduces readers to 2D game programming, a technique that was the basis for developing some well-known video games such as Donkey Kong, Mario Bros., Sonic the Hedgehog, and Braid. He uses Hypertext Markup Language 5 (HTML5) technologies that are freely available. Those new to game programming will find the book easy to follow, and get immense satisfaction from producing a fully functional and relatively sophisticated game that can run on any device with a browser. The book is also a good source for teaching game programming, as it has plenty of exercises to practice the skills learned in each chapter. Readers must, however, be familiar with the JavaScript programming language.

The book consists of 20 chapters. The first two chapters give a general introduction to the 2D game Snail Bait and the HTML5 technologies used in this game. Chapters 3 and 4 discuss graphics, animation, and the creation of a gaming framework or infrastructure for use in 2D games. Chapter 5 provides tips on how to make smooth transitions from initial loading to various states the game assumes. Chapters 6 and 7 introduce the reader to programming sprites, animated characters fundamental to video games. Chapters 8 through 10 focus on controlling how time flows through a game, which is the basis for manipulating the motion of the sprites, their appearance, and what they do. Chapters 11 through 13 discuss collision detection, gravity, and techniques that are important for creating special effects and explosions in a video game. Sound is covered in chapter 14. Chapter 15 deals with the idiosyncrasies of mobile devices and how to customize a game to run on these devices. Chapters 16 to 19 discuss the development of aspects beyond gaming, such as tracking game performance and testing. The final chapter pulls together all that was learned in previous chapters through the implementation of yet another video game.

Readers will find the incremental approach used in the first 19 chapters for building Snail Bait extremely useful for quick learning and experimenting with the game and its development tools. The author provides a companion website for the book for downloading chapter-specific versions in addition to a complete version of Snail Bait. The complete version of Bodega’s Revenge, the game implemented in chapter 20, is also available.

In conclusion, this book is an excellent resource with fully worked-out examples that make learning 2D game programming both easy and fun. Having a good JavaScript companion such as David Herman’s book [1] will help those with little or no experience with the JavaScript language.

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Reviewer:  Raghvinder Sangwan Review #: CR143324 (1507-0578)
1) Herman, D. Effective Javascript: 68 specific ways to harness the power of JavaScript. Pearson, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2013.
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