开发者视角论述HTML5平台的7大特点

作者：Tom Curtis

乍看之下，HTML5似乎给在线和手机游戏开发者带来颇多益处。这是个纯网页平台，游戏开发者能够基于HTML5制作自己的游戏，然后在任何兼容设备发行内容，从手机到PC平台。但这是否真的这么简单？

但平台目前尚没有统一标准，所以其性能还存在不确定性。该平台显然颇具潜力，Zynga之类的主流开发者已开始将其运用至手机领域，但引擎供应商Unity称“就运行情况来看，HTML5仍然不甚理想”。

关于此平台的发展方向，开发者看法不一，因此我们决定深入剖析几位HTML5技术采用者的看法，探究平台的主要利弊，及其未来发展方向。

下面是关于HTML5当前状态的若干要点：

1. 跨平台运行特点

HTML5的主要优势在于它适合众多平台，从PC浏览器到手机、平板电脑，甚至是智能电视。只要设备浏览器支持HTML5，HTML5游戏在此平台就具有可行性。

这带来原生应用所没有的优点（游戏邦注：原生应用通常需要进行重新设计，方能投放至另一个目标操作系统）。若开发者想要将自己的iOS游戏移植到Android平台，他就需要对游戏做出根本性的调整。有了HTML5技术，此过程就会简单许多。

大型网游发行公司Spil Games的CEO Peter Driessen表示，“我们已采用HTML5技术1年多，深知基于各设备推广网页游戏的重要性。随着玩家的体验次数日益频繁及各种设备的多元化，这一点越来越重要。”

Zynga德国工作室的Paul Bakaus（他曾协助公司将此技术植入公司的各款网页和手机游戏中）表示，“推广HTML5技术的理由很多。”

他表示，“一个优点就是我们能够轻松将其推广至手机浏览器。例如，你无需进行安装——这是一大优点。再来就是内容更新和跨平台开发。若你创建的是原生应用，多数情况下你需要分别在Android和iOS平台创建内容，也许还有桌面平台。基于HTML5技术，你只需要制作一次，就可以将其推广至各平台。”

除能够让开发者更轻松地将游戏植入各种平台外，HTML5还提供便捷的跨平台交流，支持很多云端功能，从社交机制到持久的游戏世界。

Spil Driessen表示，“我们希望通过HTML5获得的是真正的云端游戏。我们支持众多在线社区，显然我们的玩家，其他玩家也一样，越来越希望自己能够基于手机玩游戏。HTML5给我们奠定了基础，让我们得以创作出包含社交功能的无缝隙游戏体验，无论是外出还是在家。”

2. HTML5的运作情况难以预测

虽然HTML5原先旨在服务各种设备，但我们依然无法确保其能够顺利适应各种硬件标准。

EA创意总监Richard Hilleman最近在旧金山的“New Game Conference”上分享自己在此平台遇到的挫折，他表示团队的试验3D动画在MacBook Air上运作顺利，但在更强大的设备上则遇到阻碍。

Hilleman表示，“在我自己的电脑上，其处理器是i7，我一秒钟只能获得若干帧数。”他接着解释到：“高性能的JavaScript通常非常迟钝，”所以我们很难预测应用在既定硬件设备的运作情况会怎样。

他补充表示，“我不知道如何向客户解释。这是很大的问题。”

瞄准手机平台的HTML5开发者很容易遇到这些问题，因为他们的游戏需要在各种智能手机和其他手机设备上运作。

资深HTML5开发者及近来刚关闭的Moblyng工作室前首席执行官Stewart Putney表示，公司会在众多设备上测试自己的作品。他表示，“就iOS系统来说，我们仅需针对iPhone3GS、iPhone4、iPhone4S、iPad和iPad 2，这很简单。Android相比之下更分散；各手机制造商通常都会对手机浏览器做出微小调整。这对原生Android应用来说没什么大不了。但对HTML5应用来说，这意味着应用将难以运行。”

他继续表示到：“为保证获得较高质量的内容，我们得在多种设备上测试应用——只有这样我们才能保证应用能够顺利运作。我相信未来我们会看到更多测试工具及更优质的标准，但Android QA依然是HTML5开发的痛处。”

3. 这是Flash之外的选择

从传统角度看，Flash和网页游戏总是携手并进，但由于Adobe最近决定暂停Flash对手机浏览器的支持，因此开发者纷纷开始探寻智能手机市场存在的其他选择？但相比Flash，HTML5表现如何？

据Zynga高管Paul Bakaus表示，二者都有自己的市场，它们各有千秋。

他解释称：“Flash有全新Stage 3D API，而网页平台则有WebGL。二者都在底部图层中采用原生OpenGL抓取内容。这样它们就在速度上不相上下。关于软件绘制，我觉得HTML5胜过Flash，因为它非常贴近实际浏览器，这样它们就能够在硬件加速图层上进行各种优化。但Flash也存在几个明显的优势。”

“我觉得Flash和Stage 3D的应用程序很棒，而HTML5则是实现跨平台运作的渠道。还有就是原生应用，它能有效整合手机操作系统的功能。我不知道未来它们是否会分出胜负——所以我不会将它们分离开来。我觉得这更像是专业分工。”

谷歌Seth Ladd补充表示，他觉得HTML5最终会和Flash和平共处，每个平台都会有自己的独特优势。

他表示，“未来你将看到的是，促成更大网络的各平台将不得不继续向前发展，因为其中存在一定竞争性。我希望Flash能够找到优化体验的方式，开放的网络平台将继续优化其体验，最后你会看到这些都变成现实，终端用户将从中受益匪浅。”

网页开发者Dominic Szablewski（游戏邦注：他是JavaScript Impact引擎的创建者）表示，Flash更适合美工人员，而HTML5则是更好的编程环境。

“Flash一直都非常适合创意人员。基于Flash IDE创建动画或简单游戏非常便捷，只需要进行几次鼠标点击。这类工具HTML5没有；你通常需要编写代码。”

“但HTML5完全免费，一开始，你只需要一个浏览器和文本编辑器，无需购买昂贵应用。”

Szablewski补充表示，由于Flash已不再支持手机平台，他觉得HTML5才是网页开发的未来。就如他所说的：“若你想要创建适合手机浏览器的内容，若你不在乎IE6/7/8用户，若你不希望运用即将消亡的技术，那么就采用HTML5。”

姑且不论HTML5和Flash的比较情况，想要走跨平台路线的开发者只能转投HTML5技术，至少在Moblyng元老设计师Stewart Putney看来，情况就是如此。

“由于手机平台不支持Flash技术，我觉得HTML5技术将变成手机领域的跨平台标准。就目前来看，这似乎逐渐开始变成现实。”

4. 声音是个大问题

声音显然在游戏开发中占据重要位置。但遗憾的是，这是HTML5的一大缺陷所在。该平台的可用API相比原生应用环境略逊一筹。

Zynga德国工作室的Paul Bakaus特别提到此缺点。“HTML5面临的首个挑战是声音，这需要进行修复。这是非常简单的道理。我们无法解决此声音问题，是吧？声音是杰出作品的必备要素。这是当前的最大挑战，但我不会因此就说要停止制作这类游戏。”

他解释表示，在他看来网页开发者未来将修复这些声音问题，但要让这变成现实，还需若干必要条件。

他表示，“解决声音问题有两个要点。一点在于我们，就像我之前提到的，我们需要让供应商意识到这个问题，所以我们需要制作游戏，我们需要告诉他们我们游戏存在的缺点。”

他表示，“另一方面，我们需要让供应商承认这是个问题，然后寻找解决方式。我看到大家关注这个技术的图像问题甚于声音问题，这是我最大的担忧。作为技术供应商，你不会真正从游戏领域的角度思考问题，是吧？你不会发现声音是制作杰出游戏必不可少的要素。我们需要让他们意识到此问题。”

EA创意总监Richard Hilleman同意Bakaus的看法，就如他在2011 New Game Conference的演讲中所说的：“我们遇到的一大障碍是声音。HTML5的声音制作存在很大问题，我们需要解决此问题。我希望下代浏览器能够解决此问题，但这是另一个大问题。”

5. 浏览器兼容性不统一

若玩家采用较新颖的浏览器（游戏邦注：例如Chrome或Firefox），它们就能够顺利体验你的HTML5游戏。但那些依然采用Internet Explorer 6或旧版Safari、Opera的玩家呢？若用户没有更新他们的浏览器，他们就无法访问所有HTML5内容。

有时，这些浏览器的兼容性问题会消除平台的最大优点：无处不在。若用户依然采用陈旧浏览器，他们就无法体验HTML5游戏。

有些开发者认为，如Zynga的Bakaus，解决此问题的最佳方式是持续推进发展步伐，即便这只局限于较新颖的浏览器。他表示，通过创建无法运作于陈旧软件的高质量游戏，我们能够促使用户去更新软件。

他表示，“开发者害怕流失使用低于Internet Explorer 9版本浏览器的用户。但有时候，满足用户所需并不是最适当的做法，因为问题会始终保持原状。不妨试着创造只适合现代浏览器的新内容，这能够促使用户更新自己的软件。”

但若所有用户都采用兼容HTML5的浏览器，这是否意味着网页应用能够适应所有浏览器？未必如此。

即便是那些支持HTML5的浏览器，其支持方式也不相同；兼容HTML5的更陈旧浏览器也许只支持有限数量的功能或API，这意味着某些游戏功能只有那些最新版本能够呈现。

当然如果预算有限，你也许无法拥有足够的资源制作出适合所有浏览器的游戏。在旧金山New Game Conference上，Bocoup Darius Kazemi回忆称他在将Subatomic Studios的《炮塔防御》移植至HTML5时遇到此问题。

Kazemi解释称这是由于时间和预算限制，他和他的团队选择基于谷歌Chrome和Chrome Web Store制作游戏。

Kazemi表示，“这是个两难情境。我是要最大限度覆盖用户，还是创造高质量的游戏？我能否兼顾二者？”

“最终，我们是要将其移植至其他浏览器，还是只是在一个浏览器上创造高质量的体验？我们最终选择后者。”

Kazemi补充表示，游戏从Chrome 14中的API中受益匪浅。若你打算凭借HTML5游戏覆盖各平台，那么就要谨慎利用资源。

6. 没有专门的HTML5应用商店

HTML5应用区别于手机原生应用的重要地方在于其没有统一的应用商店。这有其利弊，我们需要事先把握。

显然投身网络平台的主要优点在于发行和更新内容无需经过审批过程。和苹果iTunes 不同，HTML5允许开发者随时更新或发行游戏，无需等待平台所有者的回应。

虽然此自由颇吸引积极进取的开发者，但这伴随一定的成本。没有标准的推广平台，要向用户呈现应用就变得颇具挑战性。

Putney表示，“目前我们没有HTML5核心应用商店协助应用提高曝光度。”

Putney表示，HTML5应用没有特定目标位置，这使得玩家难以获悉新作品的信息。但关于这点，Facebook起到一定的辅助作用。

他表示，“Facebook能够让HTML5应用在手机平台获得社交曝光度，这是一大进步。”

另一方面，谷歌将HTML5的开放性看作一大优点。该公司高管Seth Ladd解释表示，“现在发行和推广应用更加便捷，因为这里没有管理者，无需经过预先审核。所有开发者都能够自由通过自己期望的方式创收，以期望的方式获得用户，然后以期望的方式发行内容。这是开放网络平台的一大优点。”

7. 依然处于发展状态

把握HTML5的所有利弊后，你就能够判断此平台是否适合自己。目前HTML5没有统一标准，但网页开发者不断进驻此平台，所以没有人知道未来会发展成什么态势。

谷歌Seth Ladd对HTML5的期望很高，他表示，由于网络开发者快速推陈出新，平台的发展步伐也变得更快。

他表示，“目前我们从Chrome、Firefox，甚至是Internet Explorer中看到的情况是，各开发团队的发展步伐比之前快很多。”

如今越来越多开发者开始转投此平台，有些HTML5开发者称这只会让此平台变得日益强大。HTML5开发者Dominic Szablewski补充表示，“这是HTML5的最大优点。这里的竞争很激烈。在IE6和Flash问世多年之后，网页技术终于再次出现显著发展，这只是开始。还有很多技术持续涌现：WebGL、全屏模式、鼠标锁定及新视听模式API。着实颇令人兴奋。”

Zynga等公司承认，HTML5还有很长的路要走，直到它最终能够同原生应用开发相匹敌，但若平台能够保持其发展势头，体验空间就能够最终并驾齐驱。

Zynga Bakaus表示，“我们依然处在初期阶段，原生应用已主宰游戏开发很长时间，所以它们具有HTML5目前所没有的发展势头。”

尽管HTML5开发者表现乐观，但就平台持续变化的状态来看，着眼于此平台依然存在很大挑战。Putney表示，“我们应对的是台行进中的汽车”，他表示持续变化的技术标准会给开发工作带来很多障碍。

他表示，“但若我们处理得当，我们就能够凭借一款应用掳获大量用户——所以我们觉得这很值得。”（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

7 Things To Know About HTML5

by Tom Curtis

At first glance, HTML5 seems to offer some huge advantages for online and mobile game developers. As a purely web-based platform, game makers can create their game in HTML5, and release it on any number of supported devices, from phones to PCs and beyond. But is it really as easy as it sounds?

The platform doesn’t have a final specification yet, so its capabilities are very much in flux. It’s shown clear signs of promise, and major developers like Zynga have already begun supporting it for their mobile releases, but companies such as on engine provider Unity claim HTML5 “isn’t where it should be in terms of performance.”

With no clear consensus on where the platform is headed, we’ve decided to talk to some of the developers most involved with HTML5 to get their perspective, diving into the platform’s greatest strengths, it shortcomings, and where it might be headed in the future.

The following is a list of the most important things to know about the current state of HTML5:

1. It’s Designed To Work Cross-Platform

HTML5′s primary advantage is that it works across a wide range of devices, from PC browsers to mobile phones, tablets, and even Smart TVs. As long as a device uses a browser equipped to run HTML5, it can theoretically serve as a viable platform for HTML5 games.

This offers a huge advantage over native apps, which often have to be completely redesigned for their target operating system. If a developer wants to bring his or her iOS title to Android, for instance, they’ll have to make some fundamental changes to their game. With HTML5, that process should be a bit easier.

“We’ve supported the drive to HTML5 for over a year now, and we see great value in the ability to outfit browser-based games for any device. This is becoming more and more important as gamers play more often and on multiple devices,” said Peter Driessen, CEO of major web game publisher Spil Games.

“We think there are a few reasons to go with HTML5,” said Zynga Germany’s Paul Bakaus, who helps build tech for the company’s numerous web and mobile games.

“One benefit is the ability to distribute it easily on mobile web browsers. You don’t have to install it, for instance — that’s one significant advantage. There’s also the thing with content updating and cross-platform development. If you’re building a native app, it’s likely that you have to build your app twice on Android and iOS, and on desktop maybe, too. On HTML5, you build your app once, and you can port it to multiple different devices,” he said.

In addition to allowing developers to more easily put their games on multiple platforms, HTML5 also allows for easy cross-platform communication, allowing for a host of cloud-based features, ranging from social systems to persistent game worlds.

“What we’re ultimately looking to accomplish through HTML5 is true cloud gaming. We support a large online community and it’s been obvious that our players, much like gamers everywhere, are increasingly looking to play games on their mobile phones. HTML5 sets the foundation for us to create a seamless experience, which includes social functions, on browsers both on the go and at home,” explained Spil’s Driessen.

2. HTML5 Offers Unpredictable Performance

While HTML5 might be designed to run on a wide range of devices, there’s still no reliable way to maintain performance across varying hardware specifications.

EA creative director Richard Hilleman recently shared his frustrations with the platform at the San Francisco-based New Game Conference, noting that his team’s experimental 3D animations ran great on a MacBook Air, but chugged on more powerful hardware.

“On my own computer, which runs on an i7, I couldn’t get more than a few frames per second [from our demo],” Hilleman said. He explained that “high performance JavaScript is obtuse at best,” so it’s hard to predict how an app will run on a given hardware specification.

“I don’t know how to explain that to a customer. That’s a big, big problem,” he added.

Mobile-focused HTML5 developers are particularly susceptible to these problems, as their games need to run on a wide array of smartphones and other mobile devices.

Stewart Putney, an experienced HTML5 developer and former CEO of the recently shuttered Moblyng, told Gamasutra that his company would test its games on literally dozens of devices. “For iOS it is simple: 3GS, 4, 4S, iPad, iPad2. Android is much more fragmented; each handset manufacturer tends to make small — mostly undocumented — changes to the browser on their devices. For native Android apps, this is no big deal. For HTML5 apps, it can mean apps simply don’t work,” he said.

“To get good quality, our apps must be tested on a range of popular devices — it is the only way to be sure apps are working properly. I believe we will see more testing tools and better standards moving forward — but Android QA is a real pain point for HTML5 development,” he continued.

3. It’s An Alternative To Flash

Traditionally, Flash and web games have gone hand in hand, but with Adobe’s recent decision to cease development of Flash for mobile browsers, developers will have to look at alternatives for the smartphone market. But how does HTML5 compare?

According to Zynga’s Paul Bakaus, there’s still a place for both, as they each offer their own unique specialties.

“Well, Flash has this new Stage 3D API, while the web has WebGL. Both of them are using native OpenGL calls on the bottom layer, so they’re comparable in speed,” he explained. “Now, regarding software drawing, I think HTML5 has actually surpassed Flash because it’s so close to the actual browser, so they can drive various optimizations on a hardware accelerated layer. But Flash has some very significant advantages too.”

“I’m seeing great 3D applications come from Flash and Stage 3D, and seeing HTML5 really being the way to go cross-platform. And then there are native apps too, which are a great way to integrate with the OS on mobile phones. I’m not sure if there’s ever going to be a winner — I wouldn’t separate them so. I think it’ll be more like specializations.”

Google’s Seth Ladd added that he expects HTML5 to eventually coexist with Flash, with each platform offering its own unique benefits.

“I think that what you’ll see is that all of the different platforms that make up the greater web as we know it will be able to get pushed forward because there is now some competition,” he said. “I expect that Flash will find another angle for which they can optimize their experience, and the open web platform will find another way in which they can optimize their experience, and then you can see those play out. And that’s really great for end users.”

Others, like web developer Dominic Szablewski (creator of the JavaScript-based Impact engine), say Flash might work well for artists and the like, while HTML5 is a great environment for those who like to code.

“Flash was always great for creative people. Creating animations or very simple games is pretty easy with the Flash IDE and a few mouse clicks. Such a tool is still largely absent for HTML5; you really have to write code to do something.”

“However, HTML5 is completely free — to get started, you just need a browser and text editor, no need to purchase an expensive application.”

Szablewski added that with Flash no longer an option for mobile, he views HTML5 as the future of web development. As he puts it, “If you want to build stuff that works in mobile browsers, if you don’t care about IE6/7/8 users, and if you don’t want to use a dying technology, use HTML5.”

Regardless of how it compares to Flash, mobile companies looking to go cross-platform might have little choice but to turn to HTML5. At least, so says Moblyng veteran Stewart Putney.

“Since there is no Flash support on Mobile, I’m betting that HTML5 will become the cross-platform standard in mobile. And so far, it looks like that is becoming true.”

4. Audio Is a Big Problem

Sound undeniably plays a crucial role in game development, yet unfortunately this is one area where HTML5 really falls short. The APIs available for the platform just pale in comparison to those available for native app development.

Zynga Germany’s Paul Bakaus particularly laments this shortcoming. “The number one challenge with HTML5 is audio, and this needs to be fixed. It’s as simple as that. There’s no way we can work around audio, right? Audio is needed for great games. This is the biggest challenge, but I wouldn’t say stop building games because of that.”

He explained that he thinks web developers will be able to fix these audio issues, but a few things need to happen before that becomes a possibility.

“There are two things that I think need to drive audio,” he said. “One of them is actually us, as I mentioned before. We need to make vendors aware of the problem, so we need to create games, and we need to tell them about the shortcomings our games have.”

“On the other hand, we really need vendors to accept that this is a problem, and work against it. I see it less prioritized than fixing graphics right now, and that’s a huge concern I’m having. As a vendor, you’re not really thinking in the game world, right? You’re not realizing that in order to make good games, audio is needed. We really just need to make them aware of the problem,” he said.

Electronic Arts creative director Richard Hilleman agrees with Bakaus, as he explained during his keynote at the 2011 New Game Conference. “One thing that didn’t go well for us was sound,” he said. “We still tend to falter with sound on HTML5, and we have to resolve that… I have some hopes the next iterations of the browser will address that, but it’s another big problem.”

5. Browser Compatibility Isn’t Uniform

If your players are running more recent browsers such as Chrome or Firefox, they should be able to play your HTML5 games just fine. But what about those still using older browsers like Internet Explorer 6, or previous versions of Safari or Opera? If users aren’t updating their browsers, they won’t have access to all of your HTML5 content.

At times, these browser compatibility issues work against one of the platform’s greatest strengths: its ubiquity. If users are still using older browsers, they’re excluded from playing HTML5 games.

Some developers, like Zynga’s Bakaus, believe the best way to overcome this problem is to simply push forward with development, even when limited to newer browsers. By creating quality games that don’t work with older software, users will be incentivized to upgrade, he argues.

“People are scared to abandon users at less than Internet Explorer 9,” he said. “But sometimes, giving people what they want isn’t helpful, since nothing will change. Try to come up with great new stuff that only works in modern browsers, and that will create incentive to upgrade,” he said.

But if all users are running HTML5-enabled browsers, does this mean web apps will run equally well across all of them? Not necessarily.

Even when you look at browsers that support HTML5, that support is not uniform; older HTML5-enabled browsers might support only a limited number of features or APIs, meaning certain game features are only available to those who keep up with the latest browser releases.

And of course, if you’re working with a limited budget, you might now have the resources to make a game that works across all browsers. At the New Game Conference in San Francisco, Bocoup’s Darius Kazemi recalled that he encountered that very problem when porting Subatomic Studios’ Fieldrunners to HTML5.

Kazemi explained that due to time and budget restrictions, he and his team chose to develop the game specifically for Google Chrome and the Chrome Web Store.

“Here’s the dilemma,” Kazemi said, “Do I reach the widest audience possible, or do I create the highest quality game? Can I have both?”

“In the end, do we get it on other browsers, or do we just create that quality experience on one browser? We ended up doing [the latter].”

Kazemi added that the game benefitted from some of the APIs that shipped with Chrome 14, but in the end the game was bound to a single browser. If you’re going for platform ubiquity with your HTML5 games, be careful to plan your resources accordingly.

6. There’s No “App Store”

One of the key ways in which HTML5 apps differ from native apps on mobile devices is that they lack a centralized app store to keep everything in line. This comes with its own set of pros and cons, but it’s certainly worth noting before diving into the platform.

Of course, the main benefit of working on the web is that there’s no approval process to submit, launch, or update your game. Unlike closed platforms like Apple’s iTunes Marketplace, HTML5 allows you to update or launch your game whenever you like, with no need to wait through the bureaucracy of a platform holder.

While this freedom might seem appealing to up-and-coming developers, it comes with at a cost. Without a standardized distribution platform, getting your app in front of players becomes much more of a challenge.

“Right now, we do not have a major HTML5 ‘app store’ to aid in discovery,” said Putney.

Without a single destination for HTML5 apps, it becomes much more difficult for players to even learn about a new release. Putney said, however, that Facebook could certainly help in this regard.

“With Facebook enabling the social discovery of HTML5 apps on their mobile platform, it is a huge step forward,” he said.

Google, on the other hand, views the open nature of HTML5 as one of its greatest strengths. The company’s Seth Ladd explained, “I might say that it’s actually easier to publish and distribute, because there’s no governing body there, there’s no up-front approval process. Everyone gets the freedom to monetize the way they want, log in to users the way they want, and publish they way they want. This is one of the strengths of the ‘open’ part of the open web platform.”

7. It’s Still Evolving

With all of HTML5′s advantages and shortcomings, you’ll have to decide for yourself whether it’s right for you. Currently, there’s no final specification for HTML5, but web developers are constantly adding to the platform, so who knows what things will look like in the coming years.

Google’s Seth Ladd has high hopes for the future of HTML5, and notes that with such rapid iteration coming from the various working groups on the web, the platform is evolving faster than ever.

“I think what you’re seeing now with Chrome, and Firefox, and even Internet Explorer to an extent, is that the specifications that come out of the different working groups in the spec bodies are moving at a much faster rate than they’ve ever moved before,” he said.

With so many parties actively working on the platform, some HTML5 developers say it will only become more robust as time goes on. HTML5 developer Dominic Szablewski added, “This is HTML5′s greatest strength. There’s competition. After years and years of IE6 and Flash there’s finally some progress with web technologies again and it’s only just beginning. There’s so much going on right now: WebGL, fullscreen mode, mouse lock, new audio APIs. It’s truly exciting.”

Companies like Zynga admit that HTML5 still has a long way to go until it can really compete with native app development, but if the platform can maintain its growth, the playing field could eventually even out.

Zynga’s Bakaus said, “We’re still early and that native apps have focused on game development for a long time already, so they’ve just had a ramp-up that we haven’t yet.”

Despite the optimism from existing HTML5 developers, the platform is still a challenge to work with given its ever-evolving state. Putney said, “We are essentially working on a car that is moving,” noting that the changing specifications can introduce a number of technical hurdles in mid-development.

“But if we get things right, we can reach hundreds of millions of users with a successful app — so we believe it is worth it,” he said.（Source： gamasutra）