Google launches tools for developing simple games for smart displays

Google has introduced a developer preview that enables relatively simple interactive experiences on smart displays. The new platform is called Interactive Canvas and is now available for developers to create games.

Interactive Canvas is currently available for game creation, but Google says it will be adding more categories soon. This means that in the long run, besides games, other interactive, visual experiences can also be expected on smart displays.

Google describes the platform as the ‘combination of the power of voice, visual aspects and touch’. These are visual experiences that will use the entire screen of a smart display. Interactive Canvas is a framework built on Google Assistant and it also works on Android phones. The platform uses html, css and javascript, among others.

Smart displays can be regarded as a relatively ‘new’ category of products; in fact, these are smart speakers with a screen on which, for example, videos and weather reports can be shown. Lenovo introduced a smart display with Google Assistant last year, although it is not yet available in Europe.