The gaming industry has been growing fast in the past few years. Part of this growth can be attributed to solutions brought about by Applications Programming Interfaces (APIs). APIs are computing interfaces that facilitate communication and the exchange of data between different applications.
The major decision that developers are supposed to make when working on a game is choosing the right API and libraries for their game. They are also supposed to choose an API that is cost-effective, scalable, easy to use, and one that meets their requirements.
Gaming APIs come with a host of features to manage different aspects of a game. These gaming aspects might include input and output management, sound processing, and graphic rendering among others.
There are many game APIs available today which allow developers to choose the one that meets their requirements. In this article, we are going to discuss some of the top gaming APIs for developers.
1. Internet Game Database (IGDB) API
The IGDB API works as a database API offering information about video games, the companies that develop them as well as information about employees in those companies. It can be considered as a community for both game consumers and professionals where they can get information about any video game.
2. Guild Wars 2 API (GW2 API)
Guild Wars is a popular game with teenagers that was developed in 2013. It comes with a GW2 API which allows one access to information from the game’s servers. With this API, developers are able to access the game data for use within their applications. The API uses the MVVM architecture and the API key system. Developers prefer this system to the OAuth2 system because it prevents a user from accessing permissions and applications that would be difficult for them to understand.
3. Elophant League of Legends API
Developers can use this API to get information about players and their summoners, player statistics, champions among others. REST calls are used to request information from the game’s database. When you send a request using this API, you are updated instantly about the remaining number of requests you have on the header. Data is returned in JSON format.
4. Steam Web API
Gamers and developers can use the Steam Web API to gain access to data and information related to various games offered by Steam. For instance, those playing the Team Fortress 2 game can use the API to submit their gameplay data such as rankings and statistics to Steam’s website. Developers can send their requests using any of the languages in Steam’s language pack and get a response in XML, JSON, or VDF.
5. Dota2 API
Developers looking to offer integration to the Dota2 video game for several players can use the Dota2 API. It allows them to get information related to the players, teams, tournaments, matches, items, and leagues they are in. With this API, developers can gain access to a number of Dota2 game features.
6. Minecraft API
The Minecraft API has been developed following the REST architectural style. Developers use this API to request information from the Minecraft server. Such information revolves around the player list, server status, and plugin list. Developers can also check IP status, query the game’s domain DNS, get statuses of PC servers as well as check the status of the game’s servers.
7. Poke API
Just like the Minecraft API above, the Poke API has been developed under the REST architecture. The API is linked to the Pokemon series of games database. Developers seeking to gain access to data and information related to any of these games can use this API. The Poke API does not require authentication and comes with a limit of up to 300 requests in a day.
8. Discord Bot API
The Discord Bot API allows developers to create bots free of charge using its voice and text solution. It requires one to send requests in HTTP format. Responses are sent in JSON format. The responses can be used in implementing voice, guilds, invites, and user features.
9. Twitch TV API
The Twitch TV API allows developers to access the game and chat community with leagues, tournaments, commentaries, and game players. Developers can access Twitch TV information and data such as user information, TV channels as well as team information using the Javascript SDK that the API uses.
10. EVE ESI API
The EVE ESI API can be used by developers that want access to data regarding the EVE Online game. Within this game, players are able to explore over seven thousand star systems while discovering new worlds, creating economic ventures, and waging cosmic wars. Developers can gain access to this information using the API.
Conclusion
If you look at the most anticipated games of 2021, you will realize that these games cannot survive or be a hit without gaming APIs. This tells you that they (APIs) are playing a very crucial role in the gaming world.
