If you play any video games from racing to first person shooters to plain old pinball, you’ll appreciate realistic physics simulation. “Serious business” gamers often fork out wads of cash for top of the line video cards for their PCs, but would it be worth it to fork out a few more Benjamin’s for improved game physics? Graphics card developers aren’t afraid to take the chance that people will…

Last year, Intel decided to acquire Havok, the developer of a toolkit called Havok FX which designed to make special use of ATI and NVDIA graphics processing units for optimizing physics. Not to mention, Intel is rumored to be moving into the graphics card business in 2008.

Last February, NVIDA decided to acquire Ageia Technologies, the developer of PhysX physics acceleration cards, to incorporate their technology with GeForce graphics cards. Simply put, the standalone PhysX cards act as a dedicated physics processor for computer games which are intensive on all the things we love about games, like realistic explosions, pretty looking water, and precise car crumpling as you collide at 160 into a road divider. To add to the excitement, NVIDIA recently opened its PhysX platform to all graphics card developers! Sweet, sweet physics for all.

As processing power increases, it makes sense that as games develop richer lighting and textures that the physics should also have improved realism. I believe that it’s only a matter of time until similar attention will be given to calculations for simulating complex chemical and biological systems.

It is bound to happen with games like Spore on the cusp of release, which incorporates at least some form of evolution from multicellular organism to land creature. The educational merit of such games has been noticed by NASA who is exploring the possibility of a massively multiplayer online game where:

Virtual worlds with scientifically accurate simulations could permit learners to tinker with chemical reactions in living cells, practice operating and repairing expensive equipment, and experience microgravity.

I can’t wait for some sweet science games to play, because Peggle is only fun for so long…