Editing Browser game (section)

== History ==
=== Early browser games  ===

When the Internet first became widely available and initial web browsers with basic [[HTML]] support were released, the earliest browser games were similar to text-based [[Multi-user dungeon|Multi-User Dungeons (MUDs)]], minimizing interactions to what implemented through simple browser controls but supporting online interactions with other players through a basic [[client–server model]].<ref>{{cite journal | last = Vanhatupa | first = Juha-Matti | title = Browser games for online communities | journal = International Journal of Wireless & Mobile Networks | volume = 2 | issue = 3 | year = 2010 |pages = 39–47 | doi = 10.5121/ijwmn.2010.2303 | doi-access = free }}</ref> One of the first known examples of a browser game was ''Earth 2025'', first released in 1995. It featured only text but allowed players to interact and form alliances with other players of the game.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Berzon |first=Alexandra |date=2011-01-14 |title=Jared Lee Loughner's Secret Online Life on Earth Empires |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/BL-SEB-59439 |access-date=2025-05-06 |work=Wall Street Journal |language=en-US |issn=0099-9660}}</ref>

Browser technology quickly began to mature in the mid-1990s with support for browser plug-ins and the introduction of [[JavaScript]]. More advanced browser interactions, unbounded by the restrictions of HTML and that used client-side processing were possible. Among other browser extensions, these new plug-ins allowed users to run [[applet]]s made in the [[Java (programming language)|Java language]] and interactive animations created in [[Adobe Animate|Macromedia Flash]]. These technologies were initially intended to provide web page developers tools to create fully immersive, interactive websites, though this use fell out of favor as it was considered elitism and broke expected browsing behavior. Instead, these technologies found use by programmers to create small browser games among other unexpected uses such as general animation tools.<ref name="bbc eol">{{cite web | url = https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-55497353 | title = Adobe Flash Player is finally laid to rest | first= Chris | last = Fox | date = December 31, 2020| access-date = December 31, 2020 | work = [[BBC News]] }}</ref><ref name="gamasutra death">{{cite web | url = https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/374253/The_forgotten_Flash_Website_movement_when_websites_were_the_new_emerging_artform.php | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201124172810/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/374253/The_forgotten_Flash_Website_movement_when_websites_were_the_new_emerging_artform.php | url-status = dead | archive-date = November 24, 2020 | title = The forgotten Flash Website movement (when websites were 'the new emerging artform') | first= Nathalie | last = Lawhead | date = November 24, 2020 | access-date = November 24, 2020 | work = [[Gamasutra]] }}</ref>

Sites began to emerge in the late 1990s to collect these browser games and other works, such as [[Sun Microsystems]]' [[HotJava]].<ref name="vice yahoo games">{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/yahoo-games-demise-shows-what-the-death-of-flash-could-feel-like/|title=Yahoo! Games' Demise Shows What the Death of Flash Could Feel Like|last1=Maiberg|first1=Emanuel|last2=Smith|first2=Ernie|date=2017-08-10|website=Vice|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-10}}</ref> These sites started to become a popular commodity as they drew web visitors. [[Microsoft]] acquired one such site, The Village, in 1996, and rebranded it as the [[MSN Games|Internet Gaming Zone]], offering various card and board browser games.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Glaser |first=Mark |date=1997-10-09 |title=Come Into the Online Parlor, Relax With Board Games Like Checkers, Chess |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-oct-09-ca-40708-story.html |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US |issn=0458-3035}}</ref> [[Yahoo! Games|ClassicGames.com]] was created in 1997 to host a selection of classic, Java-based online [[Multiplayer Games|multiplayer games]] such as chess and checkers; its popularity led [[Yahoo!]] to purchase the site in 1998 and rebranding it as Yahoo! Games.<ref name=":4" />

=== Flash era (1999–2010) ===
In 1999, [[Tom Fulp]] kickstarted the Flash games scene with the release of the game ''[[Pico's School]]'' on his site [[Newgrounds]] that featured a "complexity of design and polish in presentation that was virtually unseen in amateur Flash game development" of the time.<ref name="ars">{{cite news |last1=Moss |first1=Richard C. |title=The rise and fall of Adobe Flash |url=https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/07/the-rise-and-fall-of-adobe-flash/ |access-date=7 August 2021 |work=Ars Technica |date=7 July 2020 |language=en-us}}</ref><ref name="interactiveweb">{{cite book |last1=Salter |first1=Anastasia |title=Flash : building the interactive web |date=2014 |isbn=9780262028028 |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |pages=74–75}}</ref><ref name="history">{{cite book |last1=Williams |first1=Andrew |title=History of digital games : developments in art, design and interaction |date=2017 |isbn=9781138885530 |location=Boca Raton, FL}}</ref>

Many Flash games in the late 1990s and early 2000s received attention through the use of shock comedy or [[Serious game|real-world events]], like ''[[McDonald's Video Game|McDonald's Videogame]]'', a satire of [[McDonald's]]{{`}} business practices, or ''[[Darfur is Dying]]'', about the [[War in Darfur]], [[Sudan]]. In 2017, Julie Muncy writing for [[Wired (magazine)|''Wired'']] said, "Flash games lent themselves to the exaggerated and cartoonish, a style that eventually evolved into an affection-at least amongst its best creators-for beautiful grotesquerie. Like much of the younger gaming internet, Flash games defined boundaries simply to cross them; the best titles straddled a weird line between innocence and cruelty, full of gorgeous gore and enthralling body horror".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Muncy |first=Julie |date=2017-07-29 |title=You Might Not Miss Flash, But Videogames Will |url=https://www.wired.com/story/rip-flash-games/ |access-date=2019-07-11 |magazine=Wired |issn=1059-1028}}</ref> In ''Pico's School'', based on the [[Columbine High School massacre|Columbine shootings]], the player must take down a [[Goth subculture|goth]] school shooter.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Salter |first=Anastasia |last2=Murray |first2=John |date=2014-11-29 |title=How Flash Games Shaped the Internet |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/11/how-flash-games-shaped-the-internet/383136/ |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}</ref> There are a few other controversies involving browser games and real-world events, such as the 2007 [[Virginia Tech shooting]] reenactment ''[[V-Tech Rampage]]'',<ref>{{Cite news |title=Virtual school shootings: interviewing two of the most hated game creators alive |url=https://www.destructoid.com/virtual-school-shootings-interviewing-two-of-the-most-hated-game-creators-alive-31610.phtml|access-date=2017-10-01 |work=destructoid}}</ref> and [[National Rifle Association|NRA]] CEO [[Wayne LaPierre]] targeting the game ''Kindergarten Killers'' after the [[Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting|2012 Sandy Hook shootings]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Beekman |first=Daniel |date=2012-12-21 |title=NRA blames video games like ‘Kindergarten Killer’ for Sandy Hook Elementary School slaughter |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2012/12/21/nra-blames-video-games-like-kindergarten-killer-for-sandy-hook-elementary-school-slaughter/ |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=New York Daily News |language=en-US}}</ref>

Expansion of broadband connectivity in the early 2000s drew more people to play browser games through these sites, as well as added attention as [[viral phenomenon]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ward |first=Mark |date=2008-03-18 |title=Casual games make a serious impact |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7301374.stm |access-date=2025-05-06 |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/gone-in-a-flash-the-race-to-save-the-internets-least-favorite-tool/|title=Gone in a Flash: The Race to Save the Internet's Least Favorite Tool|last=Koebler|first=Jason|date=2015-04-10|website=Vice|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-10}}</ref> New sites like [[Kongregate]] and [[Armor Games]] arose for hosting Flash-based games while also offering their own titles,<ref name="gameinformer flash death">{{cite magazine | url = https://www.gameinformer.com/2018/12/22/how-flash-games-changed-video-game-history | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181226024524/https://www.gameinformer.com/2018/12/22/how-flash-games-changed-video-game-history | url-status = live | archive-date = December 26, 2018 | title = How Flash Games Changed Video Game History | first = Ben | last =Reeves |date = December 22, 2018 |access-date = March 31, 2021 | magazine = [[Game Informer]] }}</ref> while companies like [[PopCap Games]] and [[King (company)|King]] launched their own portals featuring titles they had developed. [[Social media]] sites also drove more players to browser games. [[Facebook]], after launching in 2004, added support for browser game functionality that integrated with its [[social network]] features, creating [[social network game]]s, notably with [[Zynga]]'s ''[[FarmVille]]''.<ref name="polygon1">{{cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/2017/7/8/15942194/flash-video-games-where-are-they-now|title=The rise and fall of Flash gaming, explained|last=Good|first=Owen S.|date=2017-07-08|website=Polygon|access-date=2019-07-10}}</ref> The success of browser games did hurt some developers. [[Humongous Entertainment]] reported that they lost players to Flash games in the early 2000s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/from-putt-putt-to-freddi-fishhow-humongous-entertainment-made-edutainment-fun/|title=From 'Putt Putt' to 'Freddi Fish'—How Humongous Entertainment Made Edutainment Fun|last1=Clark|first1=Nicole|last2=Walker|first2=Austin|date=2019-05-09|website=Vice|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-11|last3=Zacny|first3=Rob}}</ref>

==== Indie games ====
Browser games were an important platform for the emergence of [[indie game]]s. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the video game industry had started to coalesce around [[AAA (video game industry)|triple-A]] development, games made by large studios with multi-million dollar budgets. Because of the money involved, the industry took few risks in these major titles, and experimental games were generally overlooked.<ref>{{cite magazine | url =http://www.pcgamer.com/from-shareware-superstars-to-the-steam-gold-rush-how-indie-conquered-the-pc/ | title = From shareware superstars to the Steam gold rush: How indie conquered the PC | first = Richard | last = Cobbett | date = September 22, 2017 | access-date = September 25, 2017 | magazine = [[PC Gamer]] }}</ref> Browser games gave a venue for such titles during the early 2000s, and the broader interest in-browser games by the mid-2000s highlighted several of these titles. Subsequently, a number of early indie games are those based on browser games, such as [[The Behemoth]]'s ''[[Castle Crashers]]'', inspired by Newgrounds' ''[[Alien Hominid]]'' and [[Edmund McMillen]]'s ''[[Super Meat Boy]]'' based on his ''Meat Boy'' browser game.<ref name="gameinformer flash death" /> Other indie developers got their start in browser and Flash games, including [[Vlambeer]], [[Bennett Foddy]], and [[Maddy Thorson]].<ref name="gameinformer flash death" />

=== Decline of Flash (2010–2015) ===
Flash games peaked in popularity around the mid-2000s, and by the early 2010s the format was in decline. This was due to two main factors: the rise of [[mobile gaming]], which accelerated with the release of the [[iPhone]] in 2007, and Apple's 2010 announcement that the devices would not support Flash.<ref name="gameinformer flash death"/> The [[App Store (iOS)|App Store]] and its [[in-app purchase]]s were a new revenue model that emerged fairly quickly, and outpaced the ad-driven approach of the Flash era. [[Google]] used the same concepts for developing the [[Android (operating system)|Android]] storefront [[Play Store]]. Many developers either augmented browser games or shifted to the mobile platform to take advantage of the new revenue opportunities; notably, King transitioned one of its browser games into one of the most successful mobile games, ''[[Candy Crush Saga]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://venturebeat.com/2014/08/18/lessons-from-a-game-guru-candy-crush-saga-creator-once-survived-six-months-without-pay/view-all/ | title = Lessons from a game guru: Candy Crush Saga creator once survived six months without pay | first = Dean | last = Takihashi | date = August 18, 2014 | access-date = October 20, 2016 | work = [[Venture Beat]] }}</ref> 

[[Steve Jobs]]' [[Thoughts on Flash|open letter to Adobe]] in 2010 stated that Apple would not support Flash on the iPhone platform due to security concerns and other factors. Critics pointed out that the move was made in order to promote Apple's own "walled garden" approach, and that Jobs personally "hated" Flash.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bangeman |first=Eric |date=2010-04-30 |title=Pot, meet kettle: a response to Steve Jobs’ letter on Flash |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2010/04/pot-meet-kettle-a-response-to-steve-jobs-letter-on-flash/ |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=Ars Technica |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gross |first=Doug |date=2011-11-09 |title=Did Steve Jobs kill Adobe Flash? |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2011/11/09/tech/mobile/flash-steve-jobs/index.html |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=CNN |language=en}}</ref> The move ultimately led to a long term deprecation of Flash, with Adobe announcing a move to the open [[HTML5]] standard the following year, and developers abandoned the platform.<ref name="cnn jobs death blow">{{cite web | url = https://www.cnn.com/2011/11/09/tech/mobile/flash-steve-jobs/index.html | title = Did Steve Jobs kill Adobe Flash? | first = Doug | last = Gross | date = November 9, 2011 | access-date = February 4, 2021 | work = [[CNN]] }}</ref>

Some browser games did continue to be made in other formats throughout the early 2010s, including HTML5, [[WebGL]], and [[WebAssembly]].<ref name=":9">{{cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/flash-will-never-die/|title=Flash Will Never Die|last=Koebler|first=Jason|date=2017-07-26|website=Vice|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-10}}</ref> Adobe announced the discontinuation of the format in 2017,<ref name="Adobe Flash EOL">{{cite web|title=Flash & The Future of Interactive Content|publisher=[[Adobe Inc.]]|date=July 25, 2017|url=https://theblog.adobe.com/adobe-flash-update/|access-date=July 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202123704/https://theblog.adobe.com/adobe-flash-update/|archive-date=December 2, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> and this took place in 2021. Projects such as the [[Flashpoint Archive]] exist for the preservation of these titles.
[[File:DotIO-logo.png|thumb|.io domain logo]]
=== .io games (2015–present) ===
{{Redirect|Io game|the 2006 visual novel|I/O (video game){{!}}''I/O'' (video game)}}

''[[Agar.io]]'' was announced on [[4chan]] on 27 April, 2015 by Matheus Valadares,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-11-19 |title=The story of Agar.io |url=https://gamehag.com/news/the-story-of-agario |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=gamehag.com |language=en}}</ref> a then 19-year-old Brazilian developer. In the game, players control one or more circular cells in a large map with many players, representing a [[Petri dish]]. The goal is to gain as much mass as possible by eating cells and player cells smaller than the player's cell while avoiding larger ones which can eat the player's cells. The game went viral on the free online games site [[Miniclip]], and began a wave of new .io titles from around 2016- a new genre of large scale, arena based browser games, identifiable by their hosting at the [[.io|.io domain]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Castello |first=Jay |date=2018-02-22 |title=The rise and rise of .io games |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/the-rise-and-rise-of-io-games |access-date=2025-05-06 |work=Rock, Paper, Shotgun |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2018-11-14 |title=A brief history of "IO" games |url=https://www.pacogames.com/blog/brief-history-of-io-games |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=PacoGames |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Burgess |first=Matt |title=How addictive simplicity made Agar.io a global hit |url=https://www.wired.com/story/agario-miniclip-game-viral-success-pewdiepie-youtube/ |access-date=2025-05-06 |work=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref><ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last=Lindsey |first=Cameron |date=March 2019 |title=Agar.io: The Game's in the Name |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1555412018821483?journalCode=gaca |url-status=live |journal=[[Games and Culture]] |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=154–169 |doi=10.1177/1555412018821483 |s2cid=150281404 |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230505130241/https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1555412018821483?journalCode=gaca |archive-date=5 May 2023 |access-date=5 May 2023}}</ref> ''[[Slither.io]]'' was the second .io game to be released, which is a free for all multiplayer game that is in the [[Snake (video game genre)|Snake]] genre. The basic premise of the game has 50 players compete to eat colored orbs and grow as large as possible, while destroying other player's snakes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ward |first=Mark |date=2023-01-06 |title=Tiny Fishing |url=https://thetinyfishing.com |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=is an example of a casual browser game |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Switzer |first=Eric |date=2019-07-09 |title=Where Slither.io Came From And Why It's So Popular |url=https://www.thegamer.com/slitherio-history-success-guide-strategy/ |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=TheGamer |language=en}}</ref> The game was created in 2016 by Steven Howse, a self-taught independent developer who was inspired to make it after playing ''Agar.io.'' The game quickly rose to be the top game on many platforms.<ref>{{cite web |title=Slither.io Traffic, Demographics and Competitors |url=http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/slither.io |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170521135224/http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/slither.io |archive-date=May 21, 2017 |access-date=March 14, 2017}}</ref> Starting in around 2016, soon after the popularity spikes of ''Agar.io'' and ''Slither.io'', more games in the .io games genre began to be released.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hadley |first=Jupiter |date=2024-09-17 |title=Top 23 best .io games for iPhone and iPad (iOS) |url=https://www.pocketgamer.com/ios/best-io-games-iphone/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240226044834/https://www.pocketgamer.com/ios/best-io-games-iphone/ |archive-date=26 February 2024 |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=www.pocketgamer.com |language=en}}</ref> Many of these games were simple [[Video game clone|clones]] of popular games, usually released in a top down-format.<ref name=":1" /> Some notable games released in this period include ''[[Diep.io]]'' (another game by Matheus Valadares),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hodapp |first=Eli |date=2016-07-21 |title=‘Diep.io’ Hits the App Store From the Creator of ‘Agar.io’ – TouchArcade |url=https://toucharcade.com/2016/07/21/diep-io-hits-the-app-store-by-the-creator-of-agar-io/ |access-date=2025-05-06 |language=en-US}}</ref> ''[[ZombsRoyale.io]]'',<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Madnani |first=Mikhail |date=May 11, 2018 |title='ZombsRoyale.io' Is a 2D Top Down Battle Royale That Blends 'PUBG' and 'Fortnite, Available Now on iOS |url=https://toucharcade.com/2018/05/11/zombsroyaleio-fortnite-pubg-free-iphone-battle-royale/ |access-date=April 23, 2019 |website=[[TouchArcade]] |language=en-US}}</ref> ''[[Krunker.io]]'', ''[[Wings.io]]'', ''[[Mope.io]]'', ''[[Surviv.io]]'', ''[[Shellshock.io]],''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=George |date=2021-08-20 |title=Shell Shockers passes 35 million game plays on CrazyGames’ web portals |url=https://europeangaming.eu/portal/latest-news/2021/08/20/98169/shell-shockers-passes-35-million-game-plays-on-crazygames-web-portals/ |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=European Gaming Industry News |language=en-US}}</ref> ''[[EvoWorld.io]]'', ''[[Hole.io]]'', and ''[[Snake.io]]''. These games all remain popular and are some of the most played games in the .io games genre. 

.io games became very popular during the peak of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] from 2020 to 2021, because of their accessibility on the web. Most games, not just .io games, however, also experienced growth during this time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Gang {{!}} The Gaming Industry After Covid-19 |url=https://www.thegang.io/news/the-gaming-industry-after-covid-19 |access-date=2025-05-06 |website=www.thegang.io}}</ref>