In today’s article, I present the first part of a new series that I plan as a review series. In this series, we will visit various film and game universes with remarkable atmospheres, and we will have the opportunity to take a closer look. In other words, it can also be considered as an introduction and recommendation. The most significant difference that separates video games from movies, in my opinion, is the ability to interact with that world. In recent years, we have also seen examples from platforms like Netflix that allow viewers to influence the flow of the movie. Black Mirror: Bandersnatch is a good example of this.
I have always considered video games as a significant cultural enrichment for the generation of the 1980s and beyond. Before that, previous generations generally kept their distance from video games due to their inability to adapt to new technologies, as we all know. Years from now, when people start living in virtual reality, we will probably experience the same situation, but I see that being aware of this situation makes people more open to innovations.
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Like many other processes, video games have evolved through various stages to reach their current forms. The adventure, which began with two paddles trying to hit a ball back and forth on a black screen – known as Pong – has now gained incredible detail and realism. With hundreds of different subgenres, it is possible to find a video game that almost everyone can enjoy and play today. In the 1980s, video games were generally seen as a passing fad, and it was believed that people would quickly abandon them. Against the view that people of that time would not understand, the video game industry is now standing tall with all its might. It would not be wrong to say that the industry’s growing profit margin with each passing year makes it unlikely to be easily toppled. We are talking about a world that has become esports and allows people to consider a career in this sector.
In this regard, the first universe that comes to my mind as a starting point is, of course, the Half-Life Universe. If you pay attention to the site’s logo, you will already encounter an “Easter Egg” as soon as you enter; Half-Life has actually been here from the beginning!
Developed by Valve, one of Microsoft’s developers, Half-Life was released in 1997 as Valve’s first game and hit the market in 1998. It’s worth mentioning that Valve is the owner of the Steam platform, which is now used by almost everyone. The series brought significant improvements compared to similar games developed at that time and brought about a permanent change to the first-person shooter (FPS) genre. While the FPS genre was primarily about shooting and progressing at the time, Half-Life added an element of thinking to it. Thus, the game directs you to think more and makes you more suitable to get immersed in the atmosphere. To add this feature, it was necessary to develop a wide universe, background story, and plot. The genre that was once all about shooting without knowing what was going on suddenly became like this, and Half-Life created a big sensation. Valve, which was still relatively unknown at the time, struggled a lot to find a publishing company for Half-Life and eventually managed to release it by signing a deal with Sierra Entertainment. After its release, it won more than fifty awards.
Following this success, work began on the sequel games, and by 2001, three parallel games with different storylines were released. Another unique feature that makes the Half-Life universe special is its ability to tell the same story from different characters’ perspectives. This method added depth to the story. In 2003, while the release of the series’ second game was expected, it was delayed due to the theft and leakage of the source code and was eventually released in 2004 after being overhauled. The second game in the series also introduced a new physics engine known as the Source Engine, which once again revolutionized the gaming world. The series continued with sequel games released in 2006 and 2007, and in 2007, the Portal game was also added to the series, further solidifying its legendary status. The last game in the Portal series was released in 2013, marking the beginning of a period of silence for the series. Finally, in 2020, the virtual reality-exclusive “Half-Life: Alyx” was released, once again proving its worth to gamers.
Speaking of the story, its roots are based on Stephen King’s novel “The Mist.” It can be said that another pillar of its success comes from here. Of course, we must also mention that these foundations have been wonderfully continued by the developers. The series begins with the character Gordon Freeman, a 27-year-old theoretical physicist. The whole story starts when Gordon is admitted to the “Black Mesa Research Facility,” a scientific research facility, and on his first day of work, he arrives at the facility to participate in an experiment to examine a crystal sample brought from the Xen planet in the anti-mass spectrometer. The crystal’s high purity and excessive radiation make the analysis difficult. To analyze the crystal, it is necessary to operate the system at a power level of 105%. After wearing his special protective suit known as HEV, Gordon sets off towards the anti-mass spectrometer. All events take on a unique quality from this point on, and I believe this brief preliminary information is sufficient to avoid giving too many spoilers. Throughout the series, there are numerous references to physics, and perhaps you can notice a new detail the tenth time you play.
As I come to the end of another article, I would like to mention that we will continue to explore the Half-Life universe in upcoming articles. Until my next article, goodbye!
O'Conner Sycamore 