Gaming The System: The fruits of Half-Life

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: CONCERNED WEBCOMIC
Concerned is a webcomic that uses Gmod to put Half-Life characters in hilarious situations.

The Half-Life series has been MIA since 2007, with the fifth and (likely final) game to end the story arc, Half-Life 3, having become nothing more than a running joke six years in the making, it's time to take a look back (or, in other words, roll over and cry over the lack of Half-Life 3) at what this revolutionary gaming franchise has given us outside of the games themselves.

Gmod
Easily the most famous and popular Half-Life 2 modification, Gmod requires no introduction to most fans of the series. But for those living under a rock and/or of casual interest, allow me to explain; Gmod, or, Garry's Mod, is essentially a sandbox modification of Half-Life 2's assets and physics engine. What does that mean? Just about anything you make of it, really. Load up any level from Half-Life 2 (or download various user-created maps), pose the many dramatically written characters from the critically acclaimed series in a litany of ridiculous or vulgar poses, spawn as many baddies and aliens as your computer (or the game engine) can handle for a massive battle, or, if you feel more creative, build all kinds of vehicles and quirky contraptions using the various machinery at your disposal. It's a timesink comparable to that of Minecraft, and probably just as fun, if not more.

Concerned: The Half-Life and Death of Gordon Frohman
Sadly, this entry to the list, a webcomic created by Christopher Livingston using the aforementioned Gmod to pose Half-Life 2's characters, has been forgotten ever since its end in 2006; a shame too, because Concerned is probably one of the funniest comics you'll ever read. In true Life of Brian fashion, Concerned features its bumbling protagonist Gordon Frohman being constantly mistaken for Half-Life's hero, setting the story up for the game's various scenarios and events through his various mishaps. The fourth-wall-breaking jokes, ranging from whom exactly wrote letters to the telecast of oppressive puppet-dictator Dr. Breen (hint: it's Gordon) to a deconstruction of first-person shooter mechanics, are numerous and all freakin' hilarious. While the comic's effectiveness hinges on you having finished Half-Life 2, Concerned itself will take about an afternoon to clear through, and is time well wasted.

Mod Franchises
Condensed into one entry simply for a lack of room, the original Half-Life's long-time popularity lay in not only in its awesome gameplay and story, but largely around its ease of customizability. There are a lot of mods for this 16- year-old game, and even more still in development. While some have been commended for their infinite playability (Sven Coop) and others for their amazing technical achievements with the aging game engine (the terrifying Cry of Fear's advanced real-time lighting), a few have actually broken the barrier from fan developments to full-on professional video games. It's easy to forget Counter-Strike franchise's humble beginnings as a mod for Half-Life, and we wouldn't have the trading simulator/occasional first-person shooter Team Fortress 2 for the same reason. Check out the lesser known but equally fun Natural Selection, and its standalone PCsequel Natural Selection II for some tactical alien vs. marine action.

BONUS: Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar
A making-of that chronicles the development of the entire Half-Life series at the time of the book's publication (2004), Raising the Bar features some incredibly cool concept art and information on beta features that were removed from the final releases of the various Half-Life games. Unfortunately, the book's out-of-print status has made it highly sought-after, and with its price going over a $100 makes this a collectible for true Half-Life fans. If you're unable (or unwilling) to shell out the chunk of change required in requisitioning this book, a quick Google search will yield high-quality (but legally grey!) scans across the Internet for your enjoyment.