It's been known for some time that the field of Web-based real-time communications (WebRTC) has a variety of useful applications, from conferencing and collaboration to mobile calling and beyond. One of the lesser-seen but still very noteworthy applications of WebRTC is its use in gaming, and while there have been some WebRTC-capable games seen previously, Google is bringing out one of its own with its new title, “Cube Slam.”
“Cube Slam” is fairly simple in nature, but like many games that start off simply, it will likely take some time to fully master. In “Cube Slam,” much as the name implies, players try to slam a large cube into the screen target held by another player. Striking the target three times with the cube causes the screen to shatter, and a variety of different levels are on hand with unusual conditions and hazards per level, like various obstacles, alternating fields of gravity, and the like. Below is Google's “Cube Slam” promotional video, complete with gameplay and an animated bear.
The game plays essentially like a wholly Web-based combination of “Arkanoid” and “Pong,” with the basic gameplay of the second combined with the top-down viewpoint of the first. Those without a friend willing to jump into play—play is initiated on the strength of a remote link—can play a computer-generated opponent (for some reason specifically a bear; the option to do so is entitled “Play a Bear”) in that same kind of one-on-one match.
Though the game may not look like much, especially when compared against the recent crop of wonders unveiled at the recently-concluded E3 event, it's still quite an achievement when the issue of WebRTC is thrown into the mix. It's part of Google's “Chrome Experiments” slate, a lineup that shows off just what it is that Google's doing for some of the biggest new technologies in the field like WebGL, HTML5, Canvas and others. Add in the ability to chat with friends during the gameplay and the whole thing takes on new levels of fun. It may be basic, but that same basic quality allows for the extra fun of immediate contact. Thanks to the WebRTC base involved in its construction, players will be able to jump right into the action from a basic Web browser, though not all options will be on hand with all browsers.
WebRTC is mainly available on Chrome, both desktop and mobile, but will be coming to Firefox and Opera browsers fairly soon. But those who can't wait can still get in on the cube slamming action now against the bear by just going out to “Cube Slam”'s website.
“Cube Slam” is fun, even if it stutters a bit at slower bandwidths—and the graphics run on the GPU, freeing up the CPU, but meaning that a proper GPU will be necessary for the best experience—but it's what the game represents that's more noteworthy. This is a game that can be played wholly over a Web connection and offers conferencing to boot. This is likely an issue that will come up with several businesses: if employees are having a meeting over a game of “Cube Slam,” is it valuable face-to-face collaboration? Or is it wasting time with a game? A case could be built for either, and the first time some ambitious salesman suggests a meeting with a client over “Cube Slam” and generates a sale during same, the waters will really get muddied.
Still, WebRTC is really looking to shake up the larger environment as we know it, and that means a lot of potentially exciting things to come in the days ahead.
Edited by
Alisen Downey
