Interface[s] Montréal

Digital Animation

Eric Chartrand

Designer Chef, Electronic Arts Montreal

AI, Animation and Game Design or how to create convincing virtual realities.

View the presentation [In French]

Video games tend more and more towards a disconcerting realism. And the arrival of the next-gen consoles does nothing but accelerate this process. This increased realism comes to us mainly from 2 sources, the new rendering and animation techniques. However the first gameplay experiences on the next-gen consoles tend to reveal that something is missing. Most of them show cold worlds which seem sterile to us. Why?

Game design, AI and animation are the key of a complete and captivating virtual universe. The goal of any game design is to create a rich experience for the player, to create an inviting world where the player will want to spend several hours, a world of immersion. To be done, the virtual universe must be conscious of its existence and give the impression of living its own life. All animated objects who belong to this universe must be conscious of their environment and act and react in a suitable way.

The recent advances in artificial Intelligence coupled with the new processes of animation are the first steps in the good direction of creating compelling game universe. If AI enables us to manage the nature of the interactions, the new techniques of animations will enable us soon to express it. This presentation will focus on the stakes of this new approach.

NHL07, EA, « Un univers beau, mais froid et sans expression »

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007, EA, « Un monde qui s’éveille à la conscience »

Army of Two, EA, « Un univers conscient de son existence »

Éric Chartrand was always interested with the impact of new technologies on our daily lives. He did a master degree in cognitive philosophy at the University of Montreal on the topic of the processes of world sens construction from the external stimuli, then he finished a master degree in graphic arts and multi-media at the Laval University on video games. He has worked in the field of interactive media for more than 10 years now and more particularly in the field of video games for 7 years. He initially worked at ZAQ Interactive Solutions on games for interactive television, then at A2M where he contributed to the realization of Scooby Doo Mystery Mayhem, Scooby Doo Unmasked, Carmen San-Diego and the Secret of the Stolen Drums. For more than 2 years now, he has worked at Electronic Arts Montréal as Lead Designer and partly directed the realization of Medal of Honor European Assault, SSX One Tour and NHL07.