Physics in next gen gaming

[Waelan]

Chemistry is the study of what things in our world are made of. Physics commonly mixed up with the former is the study of the way things work. So what does physics have to do with gaming.

Using technology and physics we are able make simulations of things happening in real life and show them on screen. Without physics you are seeing a rendered picture of what someone drew/animated to look like something. Very simply using physics brings true realism to games. Some examples:

A body of water can have real currents or waves. If you throw in an object the ripples can be calculated.

Weather affects like storms, winds affecting objects on subtle levels like hair blowing on a character or on large scales like tornadoes and hurricanes or strong winds blowing objects over.

More real animations of people and other things in motion and collisions.

All of this and more can be used to show much more realistic things to make you not just play the game but "feel" it. But to what extent will games use this these things and where are we currently with this kind of technology?