James Tiptree’s 500 Feet Underground

“Start your story 500 feet underground on a dark day and then… don’t tell them.” This is the phrase referenced by Laidlaw. It is so closely aligned in its description that it is hard not to see how it can be applied to Half-Life. The player literally spends the first 5 minutes going down 500 feet underground and more. This adds to the isolation which is an effective way to let the two core fundamentals work together in unison. Once everything goes wrong for Gordon the player is fully aware of the literal depth of their position and the lengths they are going to have to go through to reach the surface. Once the player gets to the surface they find out that in fact, they will have to dig their way back down into Black Mesa to find a real solution to the problems at hand. This literal interpretation of the concept is however not as reusable as theories like Unity of Effect. You wouldn’t be able to start every story 500 feet underground but you could use Unity of Effect multiple times without the player knowing you have applied this theory. The term “Start your story 500 feet underground on a dark day and then… don’t tell them.” suggests more of a metaphorical statement than a literal objective, but for Half-Life, it works perfectly.

Look Who’s Not Talking

Something that plays a large part in reinforcing the immersion in the Half-Life is the fact that throughout the entire game, and even looking at the franchise as a whole, Gordon Freeman never speaks a single word. This is known as the Heroic Mime (10). This use of a silent player actor is a great way of not breaking the metaphorical 4th wall. Akin to, when an actor in a film looks directly at the camera and the viewer is reminded that they are watching a film or TV show. In games before Half-Life, for example, Duke Nukem, the player character would have some form of witty dialogue. When this dialogue is delivered they are reminded that they are playing a game and that 4th wall is broken. In a time when putting voice acting into games was used at every opportunity, Half-Life held back with the knowledge that giving Gordon Freeman a voice would not only detract from the immersion and believability, it would also imply design constraints to aid in the delivery of certain feelings in the player (11). Not having a voice for Gordon also allowed the player to apply their own inner monologue to situations. For instance, when first meeting the guard as Gordon gets off the tram ride into work. Gordon says nothing in reply to the guard, the player then instinctively applies their own words. This self-applied inner monologue adds a great deal of immersion, it makes the player feel like they are in fact Gordon and that they are looking through his eyes as if they were a ghost in the shell of his body.

Propp’s Morphology of the Folk Tale

When looking at the overall story structure close similarities to Propp’s Morphology of the Folk Tale (12) can be seen.

Propp’s Morphology of the Folk Tale Half-Life Story Sphere Introduction The train ride and the resonance cascade The Body of the Story After the resonance cascade The Donor Sequence The journey to the Lambda Facility The Hero’s Return To XEN and back again

Sphere Introduction

Here we see many boxes ticked to indicate this structure. Gordon is warned about the potential for issues many times by the gossip between scientist before the cascade happens, then also by the lead scientist who briefs him just before the experiment. This is an example of Interdiction. This shows the player that even before the cascade something is not right. Regardless of this, the story dictates that Gordon must go ahead and do the job. Ignoring all warning signs Gordon chooses to do his job and seal his fate which displays Violation of Interdiction because Gordon chooses to ignore all the warning signs. Once the cascade has happened we start to lead into The Body of the Story.

The Body of the Story

At the body of the story, we see Villainy and lack when Gordon first sees that scientists are being killed by an unknown assailant. It is the first time the player sees a villain in the act of his crime. The story then moves into Mediation as Gordon discovers the lack as he finds out it is the army who are killing scientists and that his escape is not going to be a simple one. At this point, Gordon could choose to succumb to the wishes of the government but instead, he offers Counteraction and Departure by rebelling and turning on the army himself.

The Donor Sequence

Gordon displays his strength and agility by enduring growing levels of obstacles, armed forces, and aliens, completing the stages known as Testing, Reaction, Acquisition, Guidance, and Struggle. This is the part in the story where the hero must show his abilities before he can be helped towards a solution. Gordon meets many scientists during this time, offering him information and direction. Ultimately this leads to the army’s intent on eradicating all knowledge of Black Mesa and the solutions that enable the plot to move onto Branding. Gordon is now perceived as someone who is able to overcome these issues and potentially play the part of the hero by solving the main issue in the plot. Allowing the story to move finally to Resolution, Gordon is sent to XEN to put an end to the alien invasion and solve the story.

The Hero’s Return

When Gordon has done his duties and is brought back to earth by G-Man we are presented at the Arrival. Gordon is greeted with a rather cold but acknowledging G-Man showing Recognition. He is given credit for his work showing the Solution and is offered an ultimatum. This is really the only point in the game a real choice is made. Take the job or Don’t take the job? If you take the job, we see the Transfiguration as Gordon is put into stasis. If you don’t take the job, we see Gordon undergo the punishment as he is sent back to XEN which wraps up the theory quite efficiently.