Google backs HTML5 in new workshop event

Google is co-hosting a new HTML5 Game Jam event – a foretoken perhaps to the search engine giant’s preferred web format as the world waits for it to launch its new social game business.

The company has been on an acquisition spree of late, buying up game studios in what is thought to part of a wider plan to become Facebook’s biggest rival in the social space.

Supporting HTML5 could be key in Google’s poorly-shrouded intent to bring gaming to its web browser, Chrome, as well as Android phones and even Apple devices.

The company will be co-hosting the HTML5 Game Jam event along with Spil Games, a casual game group that recently overhauled its entire web presence to support the HTML5 standard.

The value of HTML5 has routinely been discussed in contrast to Adobe’s Flash platform, chiefly because the latter is blocked on Apple’s iOS devices in favour of the former.

The HTML5 Game Jam takes place in Hilversum, The Netherlands, on the weekend of October 9-10, 2010. It will see 80 developers pitch ideas, crack into programming, and end the marathon event with a short presentation.

“This game jam is the latest development in our HTML5 strategy, and we’re thrilled to work with Google on this,”said Peter Driessen, CEO of Spil Games.

“An open, free weekend of hardcore coding fits perfectly in our strategy to unite the world in play, and we can’t wait to see what comes out of the weekend.”