Games that can be played in browser are our salvation when we’re bored, regardless of our location. As long as there’s WiFi and you have a device that supports a modern Internet browser, you could be at work, caught in a long commute, or bored out of your skull at a conference and still have entertainment options due to these wonderful creations.
The history of browser games started in 1995, with the birth of Macromedia Flash (now known as Adobe Flash) and Action Script and evolved to HTML5 games, that don’t require you to install Flash as a browser extension. The cool thing is that browser games cover a wide range of genres and they can be both single and multi-player. Even more, these games are highly portable and can be played on different devices and browsers, some even offering a persistence feature (where your game progress is saved).
Throughout the years, you can observe an ascending trend, with flash/browser games becoming more complex and diverse. Thus, both the level of action and the graphic quality evolved so nowadays, games like DOOM, Dragon Ball Z Online, and Infinite Mario Bros, can be played in browser (of course, there are more cool examples to check out).
But what will happen next? Is there more space for development when it comes to browser games? Let’s see what we should expect in 2018.
More Remakes of Classic Games
The classics made history for a reason: they are entertaining and difficult to let go. So there’s no surprise that you’ll find them available online in a free-to-play format. I already mentioned Mario but other classics are expected to show up this year so keep your eyes peeled.
The best thing about a browser game (except the fact that they’re readily available without complicated installs) is that you can enjoy a fantastic game for free (as most browser games are free versions). Even more, classic remakes come with better graphics and smoother action.
More IO Games
The trend of IO games may have been born on a whim and showed up as of nowhere, but it will stay strong in 2018 as well. If you don’t know the genre, you should know that these are online browser games that are easy to understand yet difficult to master. A good example of an IO game is Little Big Snake (which is also based on the classic Snake game).
Basically, this trend started with basic games that took around 5 to 10 minutes to play (just perfect for when you’re stuck somewhere with nothing better to do). However, as people’s interest grew, so did the complexity of the game (both in graphics and gameplay).
More HTML5 Games
There is a constant battle between Adobe Flash and HTML5 and there was a time when we thought that the multitude of security issues and other problems may bring an end to the first. However, Flash still has lots of power in the world of browser games and other applications so you’ll still find that you’ll need the browser extension if you want to play all the cool games.
Still, it is expected that 2018 will bring more browser games based on the HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript technologies since they evolved and grown becoming more reliable. The HTML5 platform allows game creators to offer a more fluid and immersive experience for players due to great animations and cool interactive elements. Not to mention they are already embedded in modern browser clients so games will run on a native platform.
More Complexity in Graphics
Just like with PC and Console video games, it is expected to see more graphic complexity for browser games as well. Of course, you can’t compare one with the other since browser games are specially created for short-term entertainment and they run in a browser, but specialists expect a bit more this year. As it can be expected, game creators already deliver with games like League of Angels, Imperia Online, and more.
Overall, the 2018 trend for flash/browser games is of growth and we can’t wait to see new releases with more complex gameplay and stories. Our time-to-kill moments just got a lot more interesting this year!
--Disclaimer - this post has been provided by Katie Green.