Acknowledgments

H T M L 5 G A M E S
2
direction of actual applications, allowing developers to build experiences more akin to desk-
top applications than the traditional page-based web site. Naturally, these developments also 
apply to web games, and many of the recent advancements are a perfect fit for games and 
other interactive entertainment applications.
Who this book is for
HTML, JavaScript, and CSS are no longer limited to building web sites; web apps can be 
deployed on the web, as desktop widgets, and on mobile devices and many other places. If 
you are in any way interested in developing games for these targets and want to leverage your 
existing web development skills to do so, this is the book for you.
You probably already know a good deal about web development and have worked with 
HTML, CSS, and JavaScript previously. 
HTML5 Games
is not a general guide to HTML5, and 
it does not teach you how to build web sites, so it is generally assumed throughout the book 
that you have some basic experience with traditional HTML and have at least heard of the 
new elements and APIs. Not all aspects of HTML5 are covered either, simply because they 
are not very relevant to games. You do not need to be an expert programmer, but you should 
have some experience with JavaScript. The new JavaScript APIs introduced with HTML5 are, 
of course, covered and explained, but it is otherwise expected that you have a good grasp of 
the language itself.
HTML5 Games
is also not a book about game design. Many excellent books are available that 
deal with all conceivable aspects of game development more in depth than what this book 
can offer you. Trying to cover topics as diverse as artificial intelligence, physics simulation, 
and advanced graphics programming with enough detail to do them justice would leave little 
room to talk about HTML5 and web development. That being said, you don’t need any prior 
experience with game development, nor do you need to be a mathematician or a great artist 
to use this book. 
HTML5 Games
stays in the shallow end in terms of game development 
theory, and any nontrivial math and programming concepts that are used are explained as 
they are introduced. An interest in games and web development, a bit of high school math, 
and the ability to create very basic graphics should get you through the book just fine.