Adobe Flash has always been a problem on smartphones. Lots of popular web pages and media-rich internet sites are based on Flash. The iPhone has never supported Flash, and there’s limited support on Android. The industry’s long-term fix for this problem is the introduction of HTML5, the newest version of the web page definition language that started the World Wide Web in the late 1990s.
A recent announcement by Nickelodeon about the launch of their HTML5 mobile gaming hub is certainly cutting edge as they’re using the new webpage language to deliver a mobile gaming experience to players through the web on their smartphones.
HTML5 is an alternative to Flash Player. It’s a new industry standard that’s vendor-neutral, unlike Flash which is owned by Adobe. Like CSS3 and JavaScript, Apple says HTML5 is a web standard that is “open, reliable, highly secure, and efficient. They allow web designers and developers to create advanced graphics, typography, animations, and transitions. Standards aren’t add-ons to the web. They are the web. And you can start using them today.”
What does this mean for consumers? According to Wired’s HTML5: The Future of Cloud Gaming, “It allows for games to be published on nearly every conceivable web site, and since it runs directly in the browser, it opens up unprecedented viral opportunities and social media integration.”
With Nickelodeon’s announcement of their HTML5 mobile gaming site, m.nick.com/games, players will be able to access 15 games for iOS and Android-enabled mobile phone browsers to play games based on their favorite shows including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Legend of Korra, SpongeBob SquarePants, and more. Nickelodeon plans to regularly update the hub with new games and will optimize it for tablet use later this year. Users will need an Internet connection to access the mobile-friendly site but there aren’t any downloads required and each game is free.
“As one of the first kids’ networks to develop games in HTML5, Nickelodeon is committed to making our games and content available to our audiences wherever they are,” said Matthew Evans, Senior Vice President, Digital, Nickelodeon. “This new offering takes the gaming experience on our mobile site to a another level.”
Image courtesy of Nickelodeon. No compensation was received for this post.
