Browser game

Browser games are electronic games that are played on web browsers. They are distinct from other video and computer games in that they typically do not require any client side software to be installed, apart from the web browser. There are games that rely solely on client-side technologies such as JavaScript or common plugins such as Java or Flash Player, whereas some employ server-side scripting. The latter case consists typically of (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.

Plugin-based games

Plugin-based browser games require a form of web browser plugin to function. Some of these may include Java, Shockwave, Flash Player and Unity. Most modern browsers provide a method of installing such plugins if they are not installed.

JavaScript-based games

With the development of Document Object Model Level 2 technologies in the late 1990s, it became possible to produce games that would run within a browser without the need of third-party plugins. These games were written using a combination of CSS, JavaScript and the Document Object Model, collectively termed as dynamic HTML (DHTML). 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 programming techniques can also be used to further advance these types of games.

Server-side games

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 typically only send the user's browser HTML code for interpretation. Some include Ajax to allow the user to see immediate responses to their online actions and make the games more visually appealing.

See also

• List of multiplayer browser games
• Multiplayer game
• Online game
• Online skill-based game
• Online word game
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• [A link to the Home Page of Unification Wars

External links

• DMOZ Browser Based Game Directory (Open directory)