A Possible Flash Successor and How Designers Can Use It

Each time web developers and video game programmers proclaim that WebGL is dead, someone comes up with a breathtaking project that highlights the great potential that this library offers. The latest project comes from a French digital studio based in Lyon, and it has been developed with the COVID-19 pandemic in mind. The Field is an interactive website that pushes the boundaries of WebGL programming; it is a creation of the acclaimed Akaru digital design studio, and it is somewhat reminiscent of the cult space exploration game No Man's Sky.

According to Akaru developers, having to comply with the social distancing restrictions of the coronavirus pandemic made them yearn for the great outdoors, thus giving them ideas to create a WebGL project where players can explore an expansive field. The result is similar to what you would expect with a AAA video game that you download to play on a PC, laptop, or dedicated console such as the Sony PlayStation, but the experience unfolds within a web browser.

The Web Graphics Library JavaScript API has been around since 2009, and it is managed by a non-profit consortium sponsored by the Mozilla Foundation. In essence, WebGL allows developers to create advanced and interactive 3D websites that feel like video games. In essence, WebGL is an online extension of OpenGL, but it has not caught on as much as initially thought. When we look back at WebGL development circa 2011, things seemed to be very promising, but widespread adoption has been slow and more like the VRML frameworks that never quite caught on.

Aside from the Unity 3D game engine, there has not been too much evidence of WebGL emerging as the rightful successor to Flash. Some of the issues related to adoption is that WebGL has not become a true cross-platform solution like Flash used to be. Some will argue that the right combination of HTML5 and JavaScript should be enough, but when we see WebGL projects such as The Field, it is easy to see that there is a clear need for a 3D graphics standard that can make web browsers utilize the power of modern GPUs. For more information click here https://the-field.akaru.fr/.