I remember the first time I played Half-Life 2 (HL2). It was for the Xbox (my PC at the time wasn't worth the electricity it ran on) and I was blown away at how the game began with such conviction and dedication to the story of the series. Typically I find sequels to be slow and preachy at the start of the game, but HL2 throws you directly into the mix, forcing you to find your way through the misery and strife that has engulfed City 17 (the starting location of the game). As I was walking around learning the controls and testing out the various interactions with the other people around me, I saw something through a fence... something sweeping the floor. I hadn't played the original game at that point so I was thoroughly confused and was instantly craving more information.
The story of HL2, like many video games, is a story that encompasses the very nature of science fiction. I have always found video games, especially those of the science fiction genre, to be more engaging and provide a level of interaction that a movie or book simply do not have. HL2 is one of those special cases in which the user is thrown into a world that is so remarkably different from our own yet somehow feasible. A book will allow the user to interpret the words in strange and fantastic ways limited only by imagination. In some instances this can limit how engaged the reader can become with the story. HL2 plays like a mystery; it gives the images to the player, allowing for the imagination to take on the task of sorting out the story, characters, and puzzles. A movie spells out all of the solutions and connections by the end, so from a certain perspective, there is no real mystery in film. Also, both books (with some exceptions) and movies are told as linear narratives. HL2 - among many other video games - is a non-linear narrative that allows the player to experience the story at his or her own pace and in whatever direction they choose to take it.
One of the first images seen in HL2 is that of G-Man. I was instantly pulled into the story, wanting to find out as much as I could and get to that inevitable stand-off between good and evil - hero vs villain. I simply cannot wait for the release of Half-Life 3 so that I can discover the epic conclusion to this amazing experience.
Comments (1)
The whole question of non-linearity is interesting. Many books are disctinctly non-linear, e.g. Italo Calvino's If on a winter's night a traveler, or some works of Borges, or Joyce. I found the experience of wathcing the film Memento disturbingly non-linear, some Tarantino too. On the other hand some video games are very linear. I think Half Life 2 is non-linear on the micro level, e.g. you can use different weapons, take slightly different routes, but on the macro level, the story is the same for everyone.
Posted by Andy Cox | February 4, 2008 9:57 PM
Posted on February 4, 2008 21:57