In terms of character animation, the games industry is currently split into two groups: studios trying to achieve highly realistic motion, and those going for stylized characters. Interestingly enough, both these groups are converging on procedural animation as a way to reduce mocap overheads, reduce memory usage, provide animators with more direct control, and increase the space of animations possible...
In this keynote from the Paris Game AI Conference 2010, you'll hear Ken Perlin explain the benefits of procedural animation. Ken is a leading expert in the field of character animation, and in this presentation he demonstrates his many character prototypes he's built over the years. You'll see how simple techniques combined with effective artists controls can bring characters to life!
