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Browser game
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Browser games are electronic games that are played online via the Internet. They are distinct from normal video and computer games in that they do not require any client side software to be installed. There are games that rely solely on client-side technologies such as a web browser and a common plugin such as Java or Flash or built in technologies like AJAX and the canvas object, whereas other also employ server-side scripting. The latter case are typically (massive) multiplayer games, whereas the client-side games are typically single-player games. A game played in a browser is often called a browser-based game.
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Plugin-based browser games require a form of web browser plugin to function. Some of these may include Java, Shockwave and Flash, with some of these plugins available through default installations of most modern day browsers. The games created using these technologies rely heavily on the client's browser to download and utilize the game's code on the client side. Due to this fact, it allows users to more easily hack the code on their end, denying fair multiplayer gameplay, therefore a large majority of plug-in based games today are still single player. The upside to this is that since the client does most of the processing, the server does not receive a heavy bandwidth load of requests.
More recent browser-based games use web technologies like AJAX to make more complicated multiplayer interactions possible.
With the development of DOM (document object model) Level 2 technologies in the late 1990s (see Internet Explorer 4, and Netscape 4), it became possible to produce games that would run within a browser without the need of 3rd party plugins. These games were written in DHTML (Dynamic HTML), which is a combination of CSS and Javascript. Normally used for drop down menus and simple image rollovers, DHTML can be used to produce the animation effects required for sprite based action games. Ajax games are produced through the coupling of DHTML and PHP.
A growing number of games are being created using server-side scripting, in a language such as PHP, ASP, Ruby, Perl, Python and Java. Games such as this store all code server side and only send the user's browser HTML markup language for interpretation. Some include JavaScript or AJAX to allow the user to see immediate responses to their online actions and make the games more visually appealing. Having all game code server side allows for a more secure setting as the player does not have direct access to it, making it harder to alter the code and cheat.
A variety of languages are used for programming these games, each with their own attributes.
Java was the first language used for web-based animations and games. It is extremely reliable, requiring no downloads by the user. It runs completely within the window. Java programs are also called applets.
Shockwave frequently allows a higher level of visual complexity, incorporating wider styles of animation and imagery. It has been used to capture many styles, such as anime. Shockwave is widely used for 3D browser based games.
Flash allows a much higher level of complexity in online games. It frequently allows players to use a wide variety of weapons and objects, and can supply much more detailed maps and settings.