HTML5 Game Developer Spotlight – Ryan Davis

Welcome to the first installment of GameMix HTML5 game developer spotlights! We’re excited to introduce to you Ryan Davis – the creator of Creative Ink Games. Ryan is an HTML5 game developer and much, much more. You can support Creative Ink Games and Ryan by dropping him an encouraging message, sending him a critique of his work, sharing his games with others (including game news blogs/sites), or, if you are a game publisher, contact him to commission work or license his games!

And without further ado…

GameMix: Hi Ryan, when did you first become interested in game development?

Ryan: I first started making games when I was 11 or 12 years old. I stumbled across RPG Toolkit, which I found by chance on some form of dial-up Internet. I never made a full game, but the seed was definitely planted in my imagination. About a year later my dad found GameMaker and handed me a CD with the installation file and some free sprites. That’s really all I needed.

GameMix: How did you get started with HTML5 game development?

Ryan: The summer between graduating from university and starting graduate school I had a really horrible summer position. I kept my mind busy by having game projects to work on. Somewhere in that time I read about HTML5 as a way to make money and threw myself into the process. My wife and I figured that if I could make as much doing that as what I was currently doing, it could be my main job. It was a hard few months–I didn’t make a dime for almost a year. In that time I continued working in more traditional settings.

GameMix: Do you develop games full-time or part-time?

Ryan: Over the summer I was able to work full-time. Since the fall semester began I have pulled back on the hours, but it is still a primary focus.

GameMix: What was the first game you ever made?

Ryan: The first game I finished was called Virus 2.0, which was a derivative of the original ball bounce tutorial. Don’t ask me where 1.0 went. I’m not sure I understood what it meant at the time.

GameMix: Are there HTML5 tools and/or game engines that you prefer to use over others?

Ryan: As I mentioned before, I currently use Construct 2, though GameMaker will always have a special place for me. Both have their ups and downs, but I was definitely wooed by Construct 2’s elegant level editor. Something the past year has taught me is that a good game designer is a good game designer regardless of the tools she or he uses.

GameMix: What has been your favorite HTML5 game development project?

Ryan: So far I think the most enjoyable work I have done is with a local business in my town. Not only was it incredibly fun to work alongside a frozen yogurt store, it was also a huge milestone in my development abilities. The resulting game is something my mom, my graduate-student colleagues, and my hipster steampunk artist friends play. I can’t tell you how good that feels.

GameMix: Do you have any plans to develop on other platforms?

Ryan: I have great big plans for all things HTML5able, which includes app stores of all kinds. HTML5 is perfect for me because I do so many things with my week that I can’t spread myself too thin. I am all about hitting as many birds with one slingshot as possible at this point.

GameMix: What excites you most about HTML5 at this point in time?

Ryan: The most exciting thing about HTML5 is that a handful of people are realizing it is not a sub-par tool. I have never been freer to do what I want than I have been with HTML5. Every medium comes with quirks, but I will take the most flexible one any day.

GameMix: What are a few of the major challenges you find as an HTML5 game developer?

Ryan: Everyone is talking about how much is “happening” with HTML5. I think it is more accurate to say that a great deal is “beginning.” One of my biggest challenges over the past year was my inbox. So much time is wasted combing through the wall of uncommitted and halfhearted attempts to cash in on a buzzword. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the gems from the junk. I take the time to treat them all seriously because once the “beginning” really shifts to a “happening”, this time of easy entry for new developers will be over. So I work double-time to do everything, even if it does not end up working out. Being an HTML5 dev right now requires having your fingers in a lot of pies. It can get pretty messy.

GameMix: Any big plans for future development that you would like to share?

Ryan: All my plans are big! Sometimes I think a little too big. Jokes aside, I have two iOS/Android/etc-ready games which I will be placing in various app stores this Fall. At the moment I am making sure I take the plunge at the correct time and with proper preparation.

GameMix: Care to share something about you that’s unrelated to HTML5 game development?

Ryan: I wear many hats, but “potter” is one of my favorites. I got into pottery in college and have worked in the studio ever since. It’s good to switch from something as cognitive as game design to something so calm and tactile. I would love to own my own studio some day.

GameMix: Thanks, Ryan!

Be sure to check out Ryan’s games and blog, and stay tuned for our next developer spotlight!