The Ratchet and Clank series is a great example of how hand-animated characters can be highly effective. The animation in this game is on par with a Disney film. Courtesy of Sony Computer Ent. of America.

The future of game animation is displayed most prominently by the increasing amount of realtime cutscenes versus the declining use of pre-rendered sequences. Nothing else speaks to the maturation of this medium as much as this shift. Pre-rendered cutscene is really just a fancy way of saying “short film.” Pre-rendered cutscenes have certainly not disappeared, but they have diminished. One of the biggest recent hits in games has been the massively multiplayer online game World of Warcraft, developed by Blizzard Entertainment. Blizzard is known for producing some of the most incredible games ever, with the Warcraft series the peak of its output.

With each new game Blizzard offers not only gorgeous in game graphics, but some of the best cutscenes available. Blizzard cutscenes are as close as any game has come to Pixar level of quality. Each new game usually brought a handful of these cutscenes. They are not cheaply produced and accordingly, World of Warcraft arrived with only a single cutscene. Granted, this single cutscene is Blizzard’s crowning achievement, until you play the game. The online massively multiplayer format doesn’t lend itself to cutscenes, but the game itself is completely stunning. It’s so beautiful I can’t help but wonder why they bothered with the expensive pre-rendered opening sequence. Blizzard hasn’t yet abandoned pre-rendered cutscenes but it’s only a matter of time, and budgets, until they create a game that pushes the boundaries of realtime cutscenes.

Sony’s brand new game, God of War uses game environments and characters in specially scripted scenes. Courtesy of Sony Computer Ent. of America.

Console games are really becoming a showcase for realtime cutscenes. Games like the Grand Theft Auto III series, some of the Star Wars games, and most notably Sony’s brand new über game, God of War. These games use the game environments and characters in specially scripted scenes, including camera moves, cutting and carefully written and recorded dialogue to tell their stories. These realtime cutscenes have even spawned a digital filmmaking revolution called Machinima, a style of filmmaking that exclusively uses game engines to create films. God of War, a Sony PlayStation 2 exclusive, makes use of both realtime cutscenes and pre-rendered sequences. The inclusion of the pre-rendered sequences seems at first over the top. However, as the main character’s story progresses, gamers will appreciate the added complexity and nuance the pre-rendered scenes achieve. This reveals the chief remaining flaw of realtime cutscenes.

Most console game engines still cannot draw high-resolution, realistic textures that perfectly convey specifics such as subtle emotional shifts. With the advent of normal mapping techniques similar emotion will be conveyed in realtime and game developers can begin to push the boundaries of their medium and leave old filmmaking habits behind.

By the holiday season we’ll have an opportunity to truly glance into the future. That’s when Microsoft plans to release its next game console. It hasn’t been officially announced yet but rumors have flooded the Internet about Xbox 2 or Xbox 360, as it may be called. This system is the first of the next generation. Nintendo and Sony plan to follow in 2006 with new systems of their own. However, developers find themselves at a crossroads. Great tools exist, their audience is starving for the new games, but the publishers aren’t quite ready to open their checkbooks much wider. Any worthwhile developer wants to produce great works despite its limitations.

In the process, game development studios may teach Hollywood a thing or two. The question is how do we compete with Hollywood? Part of that battle may already be won. Gamers are instantly wowed by high-resolution graphics. In that regard, games have arrived. PCs and the next generation of consoles boast hi-definition graphics. Games have been delivering high framerates for years, with most games aiming to deliver 60 frames per second. What more could an animator want?

The problem for game animators is that high framerates don’t equal superb animation. Animation is just one piece of a large puzzle contributing to those framerates. Even given more processor and memory allocation, game animations still have an uphill climb. Budgets are actually shrinking and development cycles shortened. For things to change games either need some mega, Hollywood style blockbusters that appeal to the mass market or we need some new magical software that can both cleanup mocap data and speed the process of hand animation. I don’t think either is very likely but I am looking forward to the new generation of games. One thing has been true throughout the 20 plus years of electronic game development; game developers are an amazing group of forward thinking professionals who deliver unique, captivating experiences unlike those of any other medium. I wouldn’t miss this next generation of games, and the awesome animation they are sure to display, for anything.

Fred Galpern is the art manager for Blue Fang Games in Waltham, Massachusetts. Since entering the videogame field more than six years ago, Galpern has held management positions in several game and entertainment companies, including Hasbro and Looking Glass Studios. He began his art career as a comicbook creator and also has professional graphic design experience. He has created characters and developed stories for numerous children’s television series. Galpern has satisfied his long-standing interest in education by teaching at several New England colleges. He is also an adjunct instructor at Bristol Community College, where he co-created the associates degree gaming curriculum.