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Game Canvas


The HTML <canvas> element is displayed as a rectangular object on a web page:


HTML Canvas

The <canvas> element is perfect for making games in HTML.

The <canvas> element offers all the functionality you need for making games.

Use JavaScript to draw, write, insert images, and more, onto the <canvas>.


.getContext("2d")

The <canvas> element has a built-in object, called the getContext("2d") object, with methods and properties for drawing.

You can learn more about the <canvas> element, and the getContext("2d") object, in our Canvas Tutorial.


Get Started

To make a game, start by creating a gaming area, and make it ready for drawing:

Example

function startGame() {
    myGameArea.start();
}

var myGameArea = {
    canvas : document.createElement("canvas"),
    start : function() {
        this.canvas.width = 480;
        this.canvas.height = 270;
        this.context = this.canvas.getContext("2d");
        document.body.insertBefore(this.canvas, document.body.childNodes[0]);
    }
}
Try it Yourself »

The object myGameArea will have more properties and methods later in this tutorial.

The function startGame() invokes the method start() of the myGameArea object.

The start() method creates a <canvas> element and inserts it as the first childnode of the <body> element.