Advantages of HTML5 in Advergaming

Published December 03, 2016 by Jose Maria Martinez, 'Hafo', posted by hafo
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Advergaming

Advertisers of all types - including companies, institutions, or brands - are using video games to get their message out to the people. Advergaming is a resource used repeatedly for those target markets that identify with video games. Sometimes, they're even used to seduce all types of audiences. We're going to look at some of the advantages offered by games developed in HTML5, a technology that allows video games to be created and played on any modern device, such as laptops, PCs, mobiles, tablets, or even SmartTVs.

You don't leave anyone out

HTML5 is a technology that is present on any device that has a web browser, meaning you're not excluding any audience. A large number of people can play your game without worrying about what device to use. They can start a match from their mobile while travelling on the underground. Later, at work (during a brief break when the boss isn't looking), they can try to improve their score on the office computer. When they get home, they'll feel the urge to try to beat their record, something they can do from their tablet while relaxing on the sofa. After dinner with some friends at home, they can play each other on the living room TV.

It's immediate

You don't have to download or install any apps, meaning you can avoid capturing a user without then having to make them wait to download it. Thanks to HTML5, playing is quick-just go to a website and play.

Easier to publish

You publish it just as you would any other web page. It's immediately available to any user. It isn't necessary to wait for several days or even weeks for your game to be validated at shops like the App Store. Plus, you don't have to submit your games to those shops' rules and regulations, which sometimes don't allow everything that the developers or advertisers would like published. Also, if you want to make a change to your game, you don't have to go through the uploading and approval-process waiting all over again. You can do it directly and immediately.

Easier to promote

Forget about crowded shops full of apps where every promoted installation costs you several dollars. You can use the promotion and marketing channels of the web itself, which are the cheapest and best developed. You can use public relations techniques to get the digital, and non-digital, media talking about your game. What's more, there are thousands, yes thousands, of game portals where you can publish your game and generate a larger audience completely free. It's also easier to share. What's easier than sharing a URL? A web address can be shared a thousand different ways: on social media, by email, word of mouth, writing it on a napkin, etc., etc. If sharing a URL is easy, playing a game on that web address is even easier-just go to it and play.

Easier to measure

Instead of having to measure several different channels, you only have to focus on one. It isn't necessary to use several tracking, monitoring, or analytic services to check out the main performance indicators of your advergaming campaign. You can use more popular services, such as Google Analytics, or any of the more complete solutions there are out there today for websites and Single Page Applications.

Encouraging the use of standards

HTML5 in this case. This way, you're helping small companies use this standard to create new and amazing products, instead of paying big companies for their proprietary products. Encouraging technology standards is more democratic and lets everyone grow.

Conclusion

If you are facing the development of an advergaming title give HTML5 a try. You will be able to be on more devices than your client has ever imagined. You also get extra benefits, such as improving the visibility of your game and better tracking.

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Comments

chaligamer89
I found this article to be a big help. I'm currently learning HTML 5 on codecademy, looking for confirmation on credibility. Would I need to do multiple prototypes under HTML 5?
January 19, 2017 06:38 AM
Orymus3

Marked as 'to Review' given there are a lot of partisan statements which are not entirely grounded in reality.

For example, the 'ecouraging the use of standards' is misleading that that, in practice, a lot of middle-sized developers end up resorting to various mid-level engines / techs which are very young, buggy, unsupported, etc.

So, while in theory the idea of a consensus around HTML5 is appealing, the middleware support simply isn't that great yet, and certainly not standardized.

As for the 'you don't leave anyone out', the usage of HTML5 experiences destined to work on phones tends to be horrible. The default browsers often make it impractical on iOS, and lower-end devices tend to struggle performance-wise (whereas a native app would do a lot better with the same level of content).

In addition, a lot of audio solutions for HTML5 are anything but lightweight and further increase performance issues to the point where the browser's memory allocation fails and breaks the experience altogether (recurring crash on start).

HTML5 is a tech that needs to remain for a bit longer before it can really contribute meaningfully to advergaming. Production costs are not really lessened by using HTML5 as much as they should've given the lack of middleware mentioned above, and the widespread browser support is still a problem vs the install base.

Worth reviewing / rewording a bit I fear.

May 31, 2017 01:27 AM
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