The Future of Physics
Pascal Luban at Gamasutra has an interesting article about what physics means in games today and what it will mean in the future.
Until now, the use of physics in action games was most often limited to cosmetic effects. These are important for the gamer's immersion in the world but don't really change the gameplay.
The question is now to know what the possible applications in terms of gameplay are. How are we going to provide the gamer with new experiences?
Read the article. It's interesting.