Identity Contradictions

[flashcanrooster]

It's been well established that Valve has approached the Half-Life series with a bent toward immersion: no cutscenes, no third-person action, and especially, no glimpse of Gordon Freeman (ostensibly to make you, the player, feel like you and Gordon are one and the same).

However, has it struck anyone else as odd (I think it has, because I read something about this in another post) that they would show a picture of Gordon Freeman on the box art? And isn't it strange that, if immersion is indeed Valve's goal, that they would have characters in the game refer to you as Gordon Freeman? Why not just "Doctor"? or "You" or "Him"? I guess I just don't understand, if you're trying to make a character who is a cipher, why would you give him a very specific name and appearance? Doesn't this contradict Valve's immersion philosophy?

I just want to add that, although I question the philosophy, I find the contradiciton fascinating. Does it point to anything in particular about the identity of Freeman? Is it important that we know his name and what he looks like? Is it a red herring? Or is simply a cool name and some cool character art? Is it an attempt to make us sympathize with the humanity of a character who, while powerful, is ultimately powerless in terms of his destiny? If this last is true, doesn't it lead back to what I said about identity: why do we need a face and a name to sympathize with?

 

[Darkside55]

The face and name are necessary for you to "become" the character. You're not supposed to be a nameless man wielding a gun; nor are you supposed to be your own character. Valve wants you to be Gordon Freeman, and in order to that you have to be addressed as Gordon Freeman, and have at least an idea of who Freeman is and what he looks like.

If NPCs always addressed you as "you," or "doctor," I personally feel it would subtract from the immersion. No one refers to their friends as, "hey, you." It'd make them seem cold and indifferent towards you. NPCs do call you "doc" sometimes, but the fact that they also call you Dr. Freeman throughout the game keeps reinforcing who you are.

Also, without a picture of Gordon Freeman it's a bit more difficult to feel like the character. You'd be playing the game with no idea how "you" are supposed to look, no image of "yourself" to fall back on, and you'd have to improvise. The look also helps define your character.

 

[flashcanrooster]

Points well taken, and I actually agree with you. I just think it's a very unique approach to character development--it's neither here nor there, but dwells in a kind of middle ground, much as many elements of the series do (Gordon's stasis at the end of each title, the fact that while Gordon wins out against the immediate threat, the situation often becomes worse because of his actions, the sometimes sinister/sometimes benevolent actions of the Gman) much as the title to the series implies: they couldn't have chosen a better title than "Half-Life" to encapsulate all the story threads they're developing. And if this series ends with concrete answers, rather than clues that will help the player speculate as to what happens in the story, I'll be severly dissapointed. This is a game that was not meant to be figured out, but discussed. That's what makes it great.

 

[Laivasse]

Welcome to the boards, nice first post.

Freeman isn't quite meant to be a cipher. I think it's more of an RPG-type model. It's this type of thing about HL that makes it special. Gordon Freeman is a real and definite person that exists within the HL universe - but his character is a blank sheet ready to be written upon by whatever the person playing him feels. It's pretty much the kind of thing that happens in RPGs all the time, but RPGs invariably require some kind of verbal response from the protagonist at points, destroying the feeling that it's the player 'talking', plus the setting of most RPGs is less immediately intense than you get in HL (or FPS' in general I guess...). RPG roleplaying and emotional empathy crossed with FPS intensity and interactivity = great stuff.

 

[Hullu]

I can't quite decide whether I like the fact that Gordon is a 'blank sheet'. I was really annoyed when Gordon's just met alyx and she says ' a man of few words, huh?' .At that point, I would have liked to have a chance to get back at alyx, i thought it was rather rude of her. It made me feel like Gordon is shy, which doesn't quite fit my idea of his character. I also hated all those moments when I'm nearly out of health and other characters look like they don't give a shit, including alyx.

But I still agree with the point that it wouldn't be a good idea to have Gordon say something on behalf of the player. So I don't really which is better, neither is perfect anyway.

As I see it, Gordon is kinda weird, so silent and all, never questioning what other people tell him to do. i think it's because he's so traumatized by all he's been through.

 

[flashcanrooster]

More good points. What Laivasse said about the RPG model makes sense, that Gordon is a blank sheet ready to be written upon, improved, as skilled as the player him/herself. I never really thought of it that way (I guess I'm just used to being either a specific character with an agenda or a faceless, anonymous killing machine in most of the FPS's I've played). However, I think Hullu brings up a interesting thought, and it gets back to what I said before about how Gordon, as a character, is neither specific nor anonymous--at what point, if it hasn't already, does it strain credibility to ask us to believe that Gordon just doesn't speak. I applaud Valve for creating a script where it at least doesn't stick out like a sore thumb, but, as Hullu said, especially in the dialogue with Alyx that he referenced, isn't it getting to be a little much? I mean, why choose to show what Gordon looks like, give him a name and a background, then not allow him to speak? It seems kind of arbitrary. Why would a voice (or response options, maybe) make it a less immersive experience (we already know he is a man, a scientist, we know what he looks like). Laivasse mentioned that traditional RPGs "invariably require some kind of verbal response from the protagonist at points, destroying the feeling that it's the player 'talking'." But isn't the fact that Gordon is basically rolled over in every conversation, that he never responds, also destroying the feeling that the player has control over the situation? Wouldn't it be more immersive to give the player a chance to respond?
For Valve to go out of their way to craft a story where the main character does not speak leads me to speculate that there may be a reason why Gordon does not speak in the context of the story. I may be wrong about this (probably am)--maybe it's just what they decided to do in HL1, and now that the template is in place, they have to follow it through.

 

[Hullu]

exactly, it takes away from your feeling of being in control when you have no chance to answer or control the conversation. Of course the plotline has to go in a certain direction, but a few answer options would be nice, even if they didn't really affect the plot. They could have some 3 options and accordingly 3 optional responses from the characters. But it could get very complicated, since it would be weird to have that only for a couple of times during the whole game whenever someone's talking to Gordon.

 

[Talyn]

I also hated all those moments when I'm nearly out of health and other characters look like they don't give a shit, including alyx.

I could have sworn that I was running around low on health and Alyx looked at me with a really concerned expression on her face and said "Gordon, you look terrible, be careful," or something like that. And the rebels care! "Dr. Freeman, be sure to reload!" "Here, have this medkit, Dr. Freeman!" "Can I lick your bright orange boots, Dr. Freeman? Can I, can I please?"

Ok, I made that last one up, but that was definitely the impression I got from all of that hero-worship the rebels like to shower on him.

Also, I got the impression that Gordon did talk, you just didn't hear it as the player. I mean, characters carry on one-sided conversations with you as if you were talking, and when you "use" NPCs or give them orders, they react as if you were talking to them. "Good idea, Dr. Freeman! I'll go there," for example. It's not like you just pointed imperiously at a spot, or something.

The NPCs that don't follow your orders are even more likely to have a "conversation." For example, when you talk to the underground railroad guard in the shelled rebel camp (the first time you see the shells, during Route Kanal), he says "No, I can't, Dr. Freeman. I've got to stay here and help anyone else who comes by," or something like that. I seriously doubt that Freeman just jerked his thumb in a "follow me" gesture. You (the player) just hear one half of the conversation, that's all.

 

[Darkside55]

I don't believe that Gordon, as a character, is that much of a blank sheet. We can infer a lot about his personality from the games; how he is a man of action more than words, how influenced he can be from people close to him, how he acts for the greater good and tries to help as many people as he can, etc.

The scene between Alyx and Gordon didn't make it seem, in my opinion, that Gordon was shy. Simply that he had nothing to comment on at the moment and chose to remain silent. He might've acknowledged her words with a nod, or some similar gesture. I think that this too is part of his personality, rather than only an attempt to immerse the player (as it was in the first game). Gordon Freeman chooses to listen rather than speak, and act upon what he hears. Perhaps it's because he feels that time could be wasted on talking, or perhaps he simply doesn't have anything to contribute. There could be lots of reasons, it's open to interpretation.

I might add that while the character himself never says anything, it leaves the player open to imagine conversations in his/her head while playing the game. Gordon Freeman might not say a word in the game, but that doesn't mean that--to the player--he isn't speaking.

 

[Hullu]

The rebels seem to care, but Alyx doesn't. Just my intuition from what she says,...

Now that I think about it, it sounds reasonable that Gordon actually silently says something when he orders the rebels around, etc., but it never feels like that to me. Maybe because of my limited imagination, I don't know. It is just sometimes frustrating to have no control over what Gordon is saying, when the answers necessarily exclude a lot of things Gordon could have said.

 

[lastHOPE_lambda]

http://www.planethalflife.com/half-life2/freemaninterview/ gordon dosen't have to say anything, just watch that interview.

 

[Hullu]

What a nice interview, too bad this computer doesn't have speakers.

 

[cquinn]

The rebels seem to care, but Alyx doesn't. Just my intuition from what she says,...

Then you need to recalibrate your intuition. Its fairly obvious from
the beginning that Alyx had a bit of a crush on Gordon when she was a
little girl. (Even Eli teases her a little about it at Black Mesa East).
Although she probably only met him once or twice in the whole
time they were at Black Mesa. (And he affections from then
have since switched to Dog).

What you took as a rude comment when they first "meet" is
partly an inside joke by the developers, and partly to show that it
is an awkward situation for her, being asked at first to "rescue"
the guy who helped save her father after the resonance cascade.

The way I took it she was trying to not act like either the little girl
Gordon was supposed to remember from back then,
or the battle hardened resistance fighter that she had grown into.
She knows who he is, but all the memories she probably had of him
are covered over by everyone elses stories of what he accomplished
after the resonance cascade, and the Vortigaunts treatment of him
(half hero-worship, half-condemnation) probably didn't help clarify things
in her mind either.

And let's face it, she was expecting somebody with a little more experience
at dealing with the world as it had changed. Not some guy who looked
like he just stepped off a train from nowhere, and who couldn't even
handle a CP patrol by himself. She was probably worried that you
got a bump on the head somewhere along the way and had amnesia
or something.

And there are quite a few times where her concern for Gordon is quite
obvious, unfortunately she also has other concerns on her mind at the
same time.

As for the other contradiction, as I understand it, Valve orginally designed
Half-Life as a third person shooter, and the character was pretty well
established when they decided to change focus. It was probably a lot
easier to just have the users play along in the role of Gordon, and
to play out the story that they wanted to tell; than to have us
making up our own stuff as we went along.

 

[lastHOPE_lambda]

I agree with cquinn and Alyx didn't really say that line in a rude tone either. Personally I thought she was flirting with Gordon.

 

[Hullu]

That's probably how it is, but my cynical mind still cannot fit Gordon's intended character. I think they should have given players more freedom, so one wouldn't have to feel awkward whenever the story tries to make you think in a way that you can't think.

It's a good game in any other respects anyway..

 

[Asknoone]

Alyx certainly has a crush on Gordon, and all the little nods to it within the script are awesome. It just goes to show how fleshed out these characters really are.

 

[Hullu]

It's a big problem for me. Ladies sure are sexy, but I don't want them to have a crush on me. Awkward. :/

 

[Langolier]

Alyx is my least favorite part of Half-Life 2. She likes Gordon... fine... but I better not be forced in to liking her. I don't hate her, but if given the chance I'm leaving her behind. One of the things about HL2 that I don't like is all the unique NPC's. That's part of what made HL special. Then again I think it was done intentionally... the loss of control you feel is written in that way.

Freeman is realizing that he doesn't have control. That he isn't really making his own decisions, just chosing what decisions are allowed him.

 

[Hullu]

why does the word 'langolier' sound so familiar?

and what does NPC stand for?

 

[Zoetrap]

NPC = Non-Playable Character

 

[cquinn]

If you think the feeling of lost control was deliberate, then you have to
accept that the unique NPC interactions were there to keep you from
feeling totally lost and hopeless during the story.

 

[Langolier]

I know why the NPC's were there. I think perhaps... I do not like Alxy 'look' or 'style' in the game. She's too obvious a sex symbol placed there to hook your typical guy-gamer. She's oddly "hip" (ok, so that word is not really in use now and I sound like a fool for saying it, but you get the idea) for the HL2 setting. She just does not feel like she belongs there. I don't like fighting next to her either, but that could change if she did something more than stand there and shoot, and then reload. Alyx seems to fake to me, and too forced.

 

[Hullu]

There would be more puzzles without the npcs giving hints and opening doors and such.

i don't like the feeling of being patronized by the npcs.

 

[Asuka]

The face and name are necessary for you to "become" the character. You're not supposed to be a nameless man wielding a gun; nor are you supposed to be your own character. Valve wants you to be Gordon Freeman, and in order to that you have to be addressed as Gordon Freeman, and have at least an idea of who Freeman is and what he looks like.

If NPCs always addressed you as "you," or "doctor," I personally feel it would subtract from the immersion. No one refers to their friends as, "hey, you." It'd make them seem cold and indifferent towards you. NPCs do call you "doc" sometimes, but the fact that they also call you Dr. Freeman throughout the game keeps reinforcing who you are.

Also, without a picture of Gordon Freeman it's a bit more difficult to feel like the character. You'd be playing the game with no idea how "you" are supposed to look, no image of "yourself" to fall back on, and you'd have to improvise. The look also helps define your character.

Agreed.