Question: I'm one of two people on the team trying to make video games, and while I'm not an artist I got voted the art person.

So, is there any software free or commercial (hopefully cheap though) that has bone style animation that also might have some pre-canned animations? Any help would be appreciated.

OpenToonz is open-source free and there's some learning material around, it's decent. Bone-style animation also has another name -- if you look for "cut-out animation software" you'll find other programs.

But if you "got voted" the art person (instead of volunteering for it) then maybe it's not going to be very enjoyable for you?

I am also just going to point out that 3D animation is bone animation. Also easy to get into a engine because you can just export as a 3D format.

If you have 3D software like Blender, just use that.

@Kryzon well it's more like I got voted the art person because no one I know wants to do it and it needs to get done. but I'm at least willing to give it a shot. thanks!

What is the kind of art you aiming for?

2D art for games can vary a lot.

It is pixelart the aim or a more sketchy kinda graphic is pursued? For there is a pletora of softwares for this.

Krita is a free software for drawing and animation. Some anime studios use it a while ago. Photoshop can do the trick if you don't have anywhere to run. If you're looking for pixelart software, try Paint of Persia. It allows you to draw using visual reference below the drawing table. Yes, Rotoscope is the word.

Another option for pixelart is GraphicsGale. Free, I mean.

I use spriter. Think it costs $30. Allows me to attach limbs to bones and it creates the animation frames for me. I'm looking to see if there is anything better. Haven't found one yet tho.