Question

http://chrome.angrybirds.com/

The browser based app is said to be done using Canvas 2D or Web GL.

I tried to view source using chrome by using “Inspect Element” button, but my chrome crashes each time.

I am just trying to find out how one can begin to develop such awesome games. Looking for pointers to online resources,books, and specific tips for beginners.

Answer 1

If you want a book, Foundation HTML5 Canvas: For Games and Entertainment just came out. It is fairly basic but will be useful to you if you are completely new to JavaScript and Canvas.

A faster-paced introduction would be the Mozilla Canvas tutorial, which is very clear.

To get a grasp on going from drawing things to being able to interact with them, I’d suggest my own tutorials on the matter, here.

For a general book on Javascript (regardless of your prior experience), it is probably worth reading Javascript: The Good Parts

As for general advice, I give you the words of Ira Glass:

Nobody tells this to people who are
beginners, I wish someone told me. All
of us who do creative work, we get
into it because we have good taste.
But there is this gap. For the first
couple years you make stuff, it’s just
not that good. It’s trying to be good,
it has potential, but it’s not. But
your taste, the thing that got you
into the game, is still killer. And
your taste is why your work
disappoints you. A lot of people never
get past this phase, they quit. Most
people I know who do interesting,
creative work went through years of
this. We know our work doesn’t have
this special thing that we want it to
have. We all go through this. And if
you are just starting out or you are
still in this phase, you gotta know
its normal and the most important
thing you can do is do a lot of work.
Put yourself on a deadline so that
every week you will finish one story.
It is only by going through a volume
of work that you will close that gap,
and your work will be as good as your
ambitions. And I took longer to figure
out how to do this than anyone I’ve
ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s
normal to take awhile. You’ve just
gotta fight your way through.