I chose React.js as my base framework, because I’m familiar with it from building enterprise web-apps, and it lends itself to joyfully rapid dev. So I learned the pros and cons of using it for a game.
Pros:
- UI is easy to write.
- Game state is easy to manage.
Cons:
- It’s built for web-apps (i.e. html), not dynamic graphics, and certainly not 3D. You could add in e.g. Pixi.js, but I decided to stick with vanilla React.
- Instant state updates don’t fit well with juicing up a game. Though you can do a fair bit with css animations. I also adapted the router pattern to have a “slow router” that does animated state updates.
- If you’re not familiar with React, then the initial setup is a pain.
Overall - well, given I had about a day to contribute to the jam, I think it was a good choice for me. You wouldn’t choose it for a game with fast intense graphics. But it could be good for card games, puzzle games, hidden-object, choose-your-own-adventure, etc.
Happy to share code with anyone who wants to try this route too.