While this video focuses on the female form, the series also routinely features male sexual imagery, such as the male protagonists regularly making use of and traversing through oversized anuses and sphincters, the Houndeye's eyelid resembling the foreskin of a penis, and one particularly notable alien that, if you pay very close attention, looks like a giant ball sack.
I worry my heterosexuality may have blinded me from noticing such blatant male sexual imagery as a child, so thank you; this information will surely make its way into this video's upcoming sequel.
The citadel is a phallic object, Barney says to Gordon he never saw the Citadel lit up like that, which can be seen as an attraction to Gordon's rock hard Tau cannon.
@@windygulch7916 yeah I mean, you can say that about every single game protagonist ever, but we're not in the game, the main protagonist of the game is Gordon Freeman, a fictional character who only exists in a fictional universe. It's not narcissist dude
Honestly, I never got the impression Alyx and Mossman were competing for Gordon's attention in the lab, or that Judith had an interest in him at all besides him being a fellow scientist. They were having a catfight to not only display to the player that the two characters are at odds with each other and that Alyx does not like Mossman. In addition, Judith doesn't want Alyx in the lab because she's about to betray them all and doesn't want another fighter in the lab when shit hits the fan so that it's easier for the Combine to take Gordon and Eli hostage.
I always found Alyx's infatuation of Gordon funny in the Episodes, especially because Gordon being a mute protagonist is probably a bit shy, but more than likely just clueless or pre-occupied to what's going on, haha.
@@557deadpool he is a mass murderer though. I mean he doesn't just kill aliens and shit, it's a lot of military. Edit: So yes, the use of "murderer" was terrible word choice. He was defending himself from a catastrophic event and ultimately saves humanity. Now put yourself in his shoes. You have been killing things, but they've all been alien creatures that have no resemblance to anything you've seen before. But then you run into your first military soldier. I'm not sure entirely, considering I've never killed someone, but it is a lot to take in when you realize that you just killed another human being who had similar emotions and thoughts that you did. You've never been put in the position where you killed a human being. Sure the game can't just force YOUR character to stop what they're doing and reflect on what just happened. In story however, where there is no "player", Gordon would still have just moved along with a second thought. I now realize that the people calling me an idiot will never read this, but to any poor soul who stumbles into this comment's replies, thanks for hearing me out I guess?
@@Ravioactive09 literally every single thing he's killed has always tried to kill him first and even attacked first. Have you not actually played the fucking games?
Despite Alex being pretty I never really saw her through a pure lustful lens, ever since she started playing a bigger role in the story and gameplay my admiration for her was always based on her badass attitude and amicable personality, she genuinely made me feel comfortable by being around helping me, especially in Episode One and Two, she is more than a co-worker or a pretty face, she is someone I genuinely would want to become friends with it,
I never saw Alyx Vance through a sexual context either because it just felt incredibly out of place and it badly contrasted with the depressive and authoritarian atmosphere of the Half-Life universe as well.
With Episode 2 especially, it became clear that she has even more importance to the story and fate of HL's world than initially thought, what with her and her dad's connection to G-Man.
Honestly, forget Ravenholm, forget the insinuation that citizens are starved just to force them into enlisting into Civil Protection, forget the possibility that all Gordon has done throughout the Half-Life series could just be a setup for Alyx to make one choice, the female assassin is the scariest *thing* in the Half-Life series.
@@dkskcjfjswwwwwws413 If you play Sven Coop on hardcore, then female assassin is scariest thing ever - it takes just one to wipe out everyone on survival mode.
He meant it as in "remind them of the stereotype of gay men being rapists, thus fueling a hatred between the player and monster." Obviously the want to not be sexually violated isn't homophobic. Nobody with a brain stem and two functioning neurons believes that. (No, not even gay people. Just gonna nip that one in the bud. Hush.)
5:09 For a year, I've been able to avoid spoilers to the end of Half Life Alyx, slowly getting myself through the game... And a video talking about Half Life and Sex finally spoiled me to the fate of Eli.
ive always admired how Valve's decisions when developing a game are always done for the sake of the gameplay experience and not to any particular group of people
@@worstnight but it was VR only not everyone can afford or care about VR and I am not ready to buy a headset worth more than half the price of my PC just to play 1 game even if it's a Half-Life game
@@Ashraf-Hrira And? Just because it's VR doesn't make it more or less of a game + there's multiple cheap VR alternative for a VR headset, Index isn't the only one that exists.
5:30 I mean, Yeah, who wouldn't be interested in a quiet nerdy guy who is both super insanely intelligent, has the stamina of an Olympian, and who literally fought through hoards of aliens unscathed.
I remember the 20 minute sex scene in the hl1 alpha between 2 security guards, it was a bit much but honestly it was great for the story and worldbuilding
I remember that one :D. Oddly enough, it did remind me of another bit of scientist-on-scientist action over at Office Complex. Too bad it got reworked into the man-eating ventilation shaft scene we see on retail version.
i never found anything sexual about this game at all. Alyx is probably one of the most conservative female backups in gaming history period, and the female assasins are moving so quickly, u never really get a chance to "enjoy the view". This is like one of the last franchises I'd ever turn to for TnA.
I agree really hard with you, i never saw a romantic or sexual undertone on the game at all, much less with alyx or mosman, much less in HL1 where the game is literally full on death and alien goo all over the place... sex simply doesnt work in there at all. Half Life 2 treats it in a much more mature and waaay more interesting way, with it being a necessity, another way to defeat the combine and regain the power they had lost. I didnt really like this video :/
Similar with the Assassins. For some reason people forget that breasts actually jiggle when you perform any physical activity. Its easy to find everything sexual when you try to hardest and nitpick it to the ground.
@@Twat2024 At the end of the video he explains the video was supposed to be more about how sexual themes progressed in the making of both the first two Half Life games. It is undeniable that early designs such as for that female scientist, and that female combine assassin are clearly of more of a sexual nature than what the game came out to be. I know you're talking about the representation of sex and relationships in the final games, I just wanted to say I think you're focusing too much on that rather than how sex as a theme evolved in the games' productions when you say you don't like this video.
@@marioman1242 It's still a dumb subject to focus on especially with how blunt the title is, if the point of your video is explained at the end of your informative video then that's a failure on the creator's part.
i'm going to have to disagree with this video on the black mesa east scene. i've never really seen that moment between alyx and mossman as sexually charged at all. they just generally have personalities that clash with each other and its clear that they fight all the time regardless of male presence. also, mossman's interest in gordon seemed to me to not have anything to do with sex but rather she is pretty narcissistic and feigns respect for him to cover up her jealousy of his accomplishments and the fact that he was given the position at Black Mesa that she likely would have been given if it weren't for him.
2:20 Christ, knowing how thick the HEV suits are, I'm trying to figure out how this woman doesn't snap in two. There's barely room for a spine in that thing, let-alone a midriff.
I always thought Judith and Alyx fighting was more of a stepmom-stepdaughter angst thing, Judith worked with the combine almost entirely to protect Eli after all.
Alyx's attraction to Gordon makes sense, and Eli approves of Gordon's ability to take care of his daughter. And he wants grandbabies. Probably lots of them.
"Even if he is a mute psychopath whose number of victims is probably now higher than his MIT thesis paper's word count." Is a great way to describe the Half-Life series and Gordon Freeman as a character.
6:00 Remember when in Doom 3 a female scientist begged you to help her and then her head got separated from her body and started floating around and trying to kill you? Man that was so hot
I like the teasing. It feels real and I hate it when people go ape shit over the smallest joke like that. Parents make jokes or tease there kids when they like someone.
I’m pretty sure you’re the only person to have ever made a video essay on this Edit: you missed some things from the hl2 beta, like how in early versions of the story Gordon was supposed to wear a leather hellraiser inspired hev torture suit, and alyx was at one point supposed to take Gordon to “her place” for what may have been some kind of sensual scene (not sure about the scene, seems to be more of a rumor). Also the giant cut vagina monster that was supposed to pin the player down and leak fluids onto them, really half the creatures Ted Backman designed (the bullsquid was supposed to have a massive penis and was said to “attempt to mate with or eat everything it sees (paraphrasing)” in pre-release material). Also I’m kind of surprised you didn’t mention the gonarch but I suppose that one is kind of obvious. If Garry Newman is to be believed valve may not entirely be abandoning these themes since Garry Newman has mention there being a game in the source 2 that... well here is here’s a direct quote “all I’m gonna say is, TF2 but with all the characters are naked anime, thats all I can say” Oh and as for fan things, when hl2 was leaked modders made Alyx and Kilner do things that really upset Gabe Newell, I think he talks a little bit about it in a G4tech tv documentary on hl2
@@nfwrambo you're actually right, jbmod was created as a response to people on a hl2 forum who liked making alyx and others do things by using the physics gun, the mod was to simply reimplement it, but they evolved it a little further. I gathered this info from one of JBmod's yt videos, it may or not be true.
@@theheavy4216 I wouldn’t be surprised if that was at least somewhat true, but those JB mod videos are basically JB propaganda. It’s been a while since I learned about the travesty that is JBmod’s history, but iirc those videos were made due to the people behind JBmod being spiteful dickheads after Gmod became more popular. The videos, lack of development and general behavior of JBMod’s devs reminds me a lot of yandere dev. Seriously it’s like that group fused into one person a decade later.
Some people will think the relationship between Gordon and Alyx is weird considering Alyx is supposed to be 24 while Gordon is 47 (because he was in stasis for 20 years). But in actuality, he is 27 because he didn't age during that time.
@@mykll_art Many characters mention Gordon's lack of ageing and looking exactly the same, as the last time they saw him in Black Mesa. So they clearly know he is still 27, including and especially, Eli.
I'd actually argue that the scenes where everyone is trying to get Gordon's attention isn't so much about making the player feel popular, but to emphasise Gordan's own almost supernatural charisma and charm. From Half-life 1 to 2 you go from a complete personality-void that's only ordered around to a legend that everyone reveres and actually talks to. Half-life 2 is still one of the best examples of a Silent First-person protag that somehow manages to have something of a personality and relationships with those around him. ... but yeah, it was also probably to make the player feel popular.
Gordon doesn't have "supernatural charisma", it's made pretty clear in the game that he's popular for 1. Surviving an uncountable and unfeasible amount of near-death experiences and being at the center of basically every major world-changing event and 2. Doing all of that again against even greater foes
Mossman and Alyx don't spend the majority of that chapter "fighting for Gordon's attention". Alyx barely knows Gordon at this point and it's implied that her issues with Mossman's attitude are nothing new. She later explains this. You are right however that their attraction/relationship develops naturally.
Yea alyx barely knows Gordon but she’s still infatuated with him because he’s like the second coming of Jesus Christ. Moss man is also clearly trying to impress Gordon in her opening monologue
@@RichterOvertime the only reason Alyx seems interested in Gordon is because of the legend that has been built up around him by Eli and others. Mossman at this point is also aware of this and is scheming to turn over Gordon to the Combine so it would make sense that she wants to work close with him. Whatever rivalries Alyx and Mossman existed before Gordon was added to the mix. Also, from a gameplay perspective, the player at this point is looking around the lab as a breather from the more stressful previous levels. It makes perfect sense for the characters to have a long dialogue about what the next best step is for Gordon while the player can experiment with objects around the room.
3:50 Bro everybody on Half life 2 threats Gordon as the second coming of Christ and since he is a Hero and a kind of legendary figure of course they will be interested in gordon.
I've always found it interesting and even commendable that Valve has alluded to the idea of using sexual imagery to illicit a emotional response from the player, beyond the easy path of just sheer titillation. The majority of developing and adult humans experience life with some degree of a sexual lens, it's an inherent property of our biological drives. Navigating these feelings is an undeniable aspect of the overall human experience. Valve using this imagery in an intelligent way to intentionally force players to confront these emotions, even subconsciously, is pretty cool. Especially if it serves ludo-narrative functions. Makes me wish that more games that used sexual themes did so in this way, rather than simply to only titillate and excite. The only other game that I can think of that does this is in a similar way is _Dark Messiah of Might & Magic_ , which featured a succubus-like demon that used suggestive words and imagery to gradually "seduce" the player into aligning themselves with her as the narrative unfolded. The titillation is there, yes, but it's actively _weaponized_ against the player (who, given the time of release and the IP, were likely mostly comprised of heterosexual teenage boys) throughout the story in order to influence their decisions and actions, rather than only being a set piece to ogle at.
@@igorigor3960 I think that's another good example. Western culture places this emphasis (or historically has) that women are untouchable in times of duress and conflict. It was men who were supposed to deal with the brunt of violence and catastrophe. This romantic ideal gets placed into minds that women are these gentle, sacred beings who should be protected and sheltered above men. While this may have once served a useful evolutionary function, the full reality is that women and their position in times of crisis are just as nebulous and complex as men's. Not only are they equal receptors and responders to crisis, they are also equally capable of being instigators of said crisis. But an adolescents mind raised within this culture may at first struggle to make that distinction, and so when confronted with antagonizing women figures in video games, they may suffer a moment of cognitive dissonance; i.e. "I can't hurt women... but these women are attacking me! What do I do?..." I think this affect has mostly died off in our modern day, after years of women being placed in more equal, nuanced roles within film and video games. I'm curious if a modern child would react in the same way.
@@the_real_Kurt_Yarish Are you joking?! The HL1 assassins are terrifying and I didn’t waste a second in trying to shoot them full of holes. Jokes aside though I think you’re right, especially in regards to how that sort of thing has mostly worn off today. You still see some vestiges of it in the way video game journalism responds to violence perpetrated against female characters though.
I find it interesting that for decades, people have tried to use media to do just that but then censorship comes along and people stay in their comfort zones. They'd rather have jiggling boob fanservice than be terrorized by a giant penis monster, unfortunately.
I don't know why, but it feels real funny to think that characters still think of Gordon the way he acts when you play as him, jumping around wildly, smacking shit with a crowbar, and throwing stuff at people.
@@lucascoval828 Same for the black ops females. What were they supposed to draw them like ? An obese SJW with pink hair ? Women in their prime are sexy as hell to men, that's just the way it is. And yet, I haven't met a lot that it stopped from being effective in their work. Deadly effective, here. Yes, women have tits and yes, they may bounce. That is just reality.
That tagline was good, mostly shows the lethal nature of the assassins given that they were initially gonna have crossbows. Sternum being the central bone in the ribcage that guards the heart, and to get to it, you should *break* it.
I think there's also a lot of important sexual and phallic imagery beyond just the character designs themselves. The great big protruding citadel, the sheer amount of aliens that look like buttholes in HL1, the semi-vaginal imagery of headcrab's mouth, etc
While I chuckled at the title-and thought it would be about mods-it was actually really interesting, and I learned a lot that I didn’t really think about/know. Dig your stuff
I literally never thought about this at all. I never saw Alyx as a sex appeal, and just thought the jokes about Alyx and Gordon being together was just funny. Maybe it's because I'm a gay guy. Valve did a great job at making the sexual themes subtle enough so that they don't jump out, but present enough that when I look back on it, I'm amazed I didn't see it.
I agree wholeheartedly. I am also gay too, and I'm like "Alyx is just some lady!" And when I realized Alyx was supposed to be a romantic interest character. Then I thought "oh, so all that annoying dialouge was because she's trying to get Gordon's attention".
Yeah, same here. I just thought she was a sort of annoying friend, and the jokes about them being together was just an attempt at humor. The one from Eli did honestly disgust me the first time I heard it though.
5:43 The HEV suit is designed to basically be the greatest protective suit ever made. Being able to stop 9mm bullets etc isn't exactly hard to do. The suit probably uses some heavy-duty fabric weave, just like kevlar. This explains why Gordon still gets injured, but can take a lot of hits before going down.
Ross Scott's Freeman is the only one I can see as canon now. He doesn't care about the women orbiting him, seeing Mossman as an idiot with no appreciation for the gravity of the situation, and Alyx as a developmentally stunted adult child.
I love your videos, not only you make them entertaining and interesting, but the fact that you upload them in 4:3 hearts my old school heart. Thank you for you work
I didn’t even realise that Judith and Alyx fought over Gordon’s attention because every time I get to that part I’m never listening to the dialogue and just trying to get out of bounds
i just arrived from school and turned on my phone, this is the 1st thing that appears in my screen once i unlock it. imagine my fucking reaction (i laughed a lot)
When you think about, it's pretty funny how Barney and Eli are into the idea of Gordon and Alyx getting together, considering how from their perspectice, he's like 40 years old
There was a line from the half life 2 beta idk where exactly they was supposed to appear but based on the context maybe right after you put on the HEV suit. Anyways Barney was supposed to tell you “You’re in pretty good shape for a man of science” when I first heard it in a voice line compilation i deadass had to rewind because the tone caught me off guard. Could come off as a bit *saucy*
While this video focuses on the female form, the series also routinely features male sexual imagery, such as the male protagonists regularly making use of and traversing through oversized anuses and sphincters, the Houndeye's eyelid resembling the foreskin of a penis, and one particularly notable alien that, if you pay very close attention, looks like a giant ball sack.
I worry my heterosexuality may have blinded me from noticing such blatant male sexual imagery as a child, so thank you; this information will surely make its way into this video's upcoming sequel.
balls
@@rsbval i agree
@@fish4649 SEX 👍
@@RichterOvertime Half life (and Gay sex)
I can't believe you discussed HL sexiness without even a single reference to Gorgeous Freeman.
A hard achievement
Legendary
I love that, shame to see it not being continued
@@Awfulfeature A "hard" achievement, perhaps?
@@revolutionstudios5052 oh boy
"Gordon dosen't need to hear all this he's a highly trained profesional"
*Cock and ball torture, dr. Freeman.*
@@Kanakravaatti ok
We have assured the administrator than NOTHING will go _wrong_
* proceeds to fuck up humanity for a decade by pushing a cart *
"I'm an artist, a performance artist.
I help people with their fantasies, deep dark fantasies"
Things Valve can do to save the half life franchise :
- add sex to the game
Sex update is reserved for TF2
NO, unless it’s tf2 and it HAS TO BE GAY
@@ganii1804 Erectin a dispencer
Fap Life
Half-Life: Fuck Alyx
Tap A to thrust
"Eastern-European dystopia"
So normal Eastern-Europe
this holds up
This ages well
So uhh
I disagree. The devs where kinda too liberal, i must say.
@@quakeknight9680 bro what
alyx: *hugs gordon after finding out he survived a massive explosion and fell thousands of feet down the citadel into concrete*
richter: S E X U A L
that scene is an example of romantic tension not sexual tension
@@RichterOvertime gripping tension
@@GlitchedBlox Hand tugging tension
IKR, richter's such a lovely creep
@@RichterOvertime It's not "tension", it's development.
Richter Overtime
Status: Virgin
5:05
"Then he fucking dies"
That caught me so off guard I actually exploded.
Damn your explosive
Maybe work for a company who makes explosive objects or material
Same man
"But not really"
DUDE I still exploded after seeing this comment
The citadel is a phallic object, Barney says to Gordon he never saw the Citadel lit up like that, which can be seen as an attraction to Gordon's rock hard Tau cannon.
Didn't know my English teacher played Half Life
@@content6907 ayo
I don't like how you worded that. It makes me uncomfortable
Stop it, get some help
"Don't let it overcharge!"
Gordon is the hottest half life character hands down.
Straight facts right here.
fax
Exactly
youre right but its also super funny how narcissistic it is to say that cuz WE'RE ALL GORDAN FREEMAN
@@windygulch7916 yeah I mean, you can say that about every single game protagonist ever, but we're not in the game, the main protagonist of the game is Gordon Freeman, a fictional character who only exists in a fictional universe. It's not narcissist dude
People don't talk about the HL2:E1 hug enough. That's his first hug since the BM incident and by god he's needed one the entire time.
I hate it when people hug me so I kinda dislike that scene lol
@@limalepakko6074 👍
@@limalepakko6074 lack of physical affection during childhood, huh?
@@limalepakko6074 no parents
@@limalepakko6074nobody fucking cares about your shit
Honestly, I never got the impression Alyx and Mossman were competing for Gordon's attention in the lab, or that Judith had an interest in him at all besides him being a fellow scientist.
They were having a catfight to not only display to the player that the two characters are at odds with each other and that Alyx does not like Mossman.
In addition, Judith doesn't want Alyx in the lab because she's about to betray them all and doesn't want another fighter in the lab when shit hits the fan so that it's easier for the Combine to take Gordon and Eli hostage.
Exactly. He pretty much just pulled that interpretation out of his ass
Mossman was interested because she was soon about to rat you out to the combine and breen
I don't think he was getting at a romantic attraction there, I think he's just saying the way it's SET UP is deliberate
I was just sayn
Yeah i never got that impression either. It definitely seems like Alyx wants his attention but I dont think Mossman really cared beyond work.
Loved the video, desperately want you to never describe having kids with someone as "breeding" them ever again.
Please edit this to include how much worse it is when it’s a father suggesting someone should “breed” their daughter.
It feels the same as the Citizens "when this is all over, im gonna mate" line
@@RabdoInternetGuyjust goes to show how much the combine fuck up humanity. (Pun completely intended)
@suspiciouscheese4518
In his defense, it's Gorgeous Freeman.
I always found Alyx's infatuation of Gordon funny in the Episodes, especially because Gordon being a mute protagonist is probably a bit shy, but more than likely just clueless or pre-occupied to what's going on, haha.
End of the world, a literal unstoppable oppressive regime of aliens, an eldritch horror in dapper blue suit. Turns out, KINDA distracting.
"Wow Gordon ur so cool and epic and smart and all I didn't know you're-"
"SHUT UP WOMAN IM TRYING TO SHOOT DOWN THIS GUNSHIP"
@@ganii1804 "not right now, i am trying to find a gnome"
Your average shonen anime protagonist
@@dava8058 Freemans Bizarre adventure
“Even if he is a mute psychopath who’s number of victims is probably now higher than his MIT thesis paper’s word count”
Damn
he's not a psychopath
@@557deadpool he is a mass murderer though. I mean he doesn't just kill aliens and shit, it's a lot of military.
Edit: So yes, the use of "murderer" was terrible word choice. He was defending himself from a catastrophic event and ultimately saves humanity. Now put yourself in his shoes. You have been killing things, but they've all been alien creatures that have no resemblance to anything you've seen before. But then you run into your first military soldier. I'm not sure entirely, considering I've never killed someone, but it is a lot to take in when you realize that you just killed another human being who had similar emotions and thoughts that you did. You've never been put in the position where you killed a human being. Sure the game can't just force YOUR character to stop what they're doing and reflect on what just happened. In story however, where there is no "player", Gordon would still have just moved along with a second thought. I now realize that the people calling me an idiot will never read this, but to any poor soul who stumbles into this comment's replies, thanks for hearing me out I guess?
That wasn't murder though, that was self-defense. Just cause he was using an mp5 doesn't mean anything.
@@Ravioactive09 literally every single thing he's killed has always tried to kill him first and even attacked first. Have you not actually played the fucking games?
@@mrscruffles801 exactly, people are fucking stupid
Despite Alex being pretty I never really saw her through a pure lustful lens, ever since she started playing a bigger role in the story and gameplay my admiration for her was always based on her badass attitude and amicable personality, she genuinely made me feel comfortable by being around helping me, especially in Episode One and Two, she is more than a co-worker or a pretty face, she is someone I genuinely would want to become friends with it,
I'm glad I'm not the only one that also thought about that.
She gives off a more "Fighter symbol" character that has some spices along the way.
I never saw Alyx Vance through a sexual context either because it just felt incredibly out of place and it badly contrasted with the depressive and authoritarian atmosphere of the Half-Life universe as well.
With Episode 2 especially, it became clear that she has even more importance to the story and fate of HL's world than initially thought, what with her and her dad's connection to G-Man.
No yeah, I guess you’d have the best relationship with a girl like that.
The Black Mesa security guards are probably the most endearing aspect of Half Life to me. Gotta love those guys.
If you play DarkRP they give off the same vibe as an average mid 20s chill bro player.
They're called Barnies, and you can't tell me otherwise.
@@RabdoInternetGuyI mean the scientist and guards are all Kleiner and Barney in a way.
Scientists too
Sucks that so many die, but what can you do I guess….
Honestly, forget Ravenholm, forget the insinuation that citizens are starved just to force them into enlisting into Civil Protection, forget the possibility that all Gordon has done throughout the Half-Life series could just be a setup for Alyx to make one choice, the female assassin is the scariest *thing* in the Half-Life series.
Gargantua for me
Yeah, I'm also afraid of women.
Voltigories, shock troopers and alien controllers are worse
@@dkskcjfjswwwwwws413 If you play Sven Coop on hardcore, then female assassin is scariest thing ever - it takes just one to wipe out everyone on survival mode.
Idk the main weird thing is the heels as an assassin but having a combine everything else lol
4:55 imagine getting called "submissive and breedable" by your own father lmao
Would be an honor
sweet home alabama
and then he fucking dies
@@dougisnotadog but no really
@@Mr_Facetious503 gordon and alyx arent related
You forgot to mention the mysterious “Non-mechanical reproduction simulation” line from the combine overwatch
Probably where the beta assassins are gone right now.
Post-Apocalyptic Alien Oppression VR Sex Simulation™
@@simtexa is that what wayneradiotv is up to these days?
@@simtexa where can i get one
The combine assassins were… repurposed.
0:37
“Not wanting to get raped to death by an alien is homophobic”
-Ted Backman
Yeah, his wife has a boyfriend.
Probably one of those types.
A man of culture
Those eggs aren't going to implant themselves you know.
He meant it as in "remind them of the stereotype of gay men being rapists, thus fueling a hatred between the player and monster." Obviously the want to not be sexually violated isn't homophobic. Nobody with a brain stem and two functioning neurons believes that. (No, not even gay people. Just gonna nip that one in the bud. Hush.)
It probably would stemmed have been more from male on male sex than getting raped to death by an alien
Honestly
As a normal human being i saw Gordons and Alyxs relationship pretty cute
I never thought about it as sexual i thought it was pretty wholesome
I'll take wholesome.
Games still need to focus on getting relationships right before they can tackle sex scenes.
Even if it's too late.
I fucking hate alyx😊😊
@@lucascoval828If half life 3 doesn't have gordon laying mad pipe I aint buying it yo
1:49 when people say Half-Life was the first game to use full implemented physics
the only physics that matter
Wait, was this before or after Dead or Alive and Soul Blade?
@@kuronoroux8864 Yeah Dead or Alive came out in 96
Anyone who says Half Life was the first knows nothing, its engine is just a beefed up Quake engine
It's just an animation. It's not tied to physics at all. Honestly, it doesn't even make much sense. Aren't they wearing plate carriers?
5:09
For a year, I've been able to avoid spoilers to the end of Half Life Alyx, slowly getting myself through the game...
And a video talking about Half Life and Sex finally spoiled me to the fate of Eli.
...you've been playing a 12 hour long game for a year??? no one but yourself to blame
@@nonuvurbeeznus795 Im too damn lazy to setup my oculus everytime I wanna play the damn thing lol
@@nonuvurbeeznus795 not everyone can afford a vr and a good pc 🙄
@@xXRealXx he just said he has an oculus, clown
@hell he just said he has an oculus, clown
ive always admired how Valve's decisions when developing a game are always done for the sake of the gameplay experience and not to any particular group of people
I always love that about them that is why I am upset that they don't make games anymore and only releasing dumb skins for CSGO
@@Ashraf-Hrira Half Life Alyx was literally released a year ago
@@worstnight but it was VR only not everyone can afford or care about VR and I am not ready to buy a headset worth more than half the price of my PC just to play 1 game even if it's a Half-Life game
@@Ashraf-Hrira And? Just because it's VR doesn't make it more or less of a game + there's multiple cheap VR alternative for a VR headset, Index isn't the only one that exists.
@@worstnight still not gonna buy a headset just for 1 game
5:30 I mean, Yeah, who wouldn't be interested in a quiet nerdy guy who is both super insanely intelligent, has the stamina of an Olympian, and who literally fought through hoards of aliens unscathed.
In an orange teletubbie suit
Sounds like marriage material.
@@lucascoval828 Real. lol
and saved your life multiple times
Your delivery of 'Which Eli laughs at, then he f*cking dies." was wonderful.
Great, two of the three of my favourite things being discussed, third being Nesquik chocolate milk
ayy bro nesquik is some quality stuff man
Nesquik some quality stuff
Sad that Nestle sucks now.
"water is not a humar right, it should be privatized" -Nestle's chairman
Nestle is a shitty company, I would suggest finding a better chocolate Milk alternative
I remember the 20 minute sex scene in the hl1 alpha between 2 security guards, it was a bit much but honestly it was great for the story and worldbuilding
And progressive!
the what.
I remember that one :D. Oddly enough, it did remind me of another bit of scientist-on-scientist action over at Office Complex. Too bad it got reworked into the man-eating ventilation shaft scene we see on retail version.
20 MINUTES?! OF LOW POLYGON....WHAT
Where
i never found anything sexual about this game at all. Alyx is probably one of the most conservative female backups in gaming history period, and the female assasins are moving so quickly, u never really get a chance to "enjoy the view". This is like one of the last franchises I'd ever turn to for TnA.
I agree really hard with you, i never saw a romantic or sexual undertone on the game at all, much less with alyx or mosman, much less in HL1 where the game is literally full on death and alien goo all over the place... sex simply doesnt work in there at all. Half Life 2 treats it in a much more mature and waaay more interesting way, with it being a necessity, another way to defeat the combine and regain the power they had lost. I didnt really like this video :/
Similar with the Assassins. For some reason people forget that breasts actually jiggle when you perform any physical activity.
Its easy to find everything sexual when you try to hardest and nitpick it to the ground.
@@Twat2024 At the end of the video he explains the video was supposed to be more about how sexual themes progressed in the making of both the first two Half Life games. It is undeniable that early designs such as for that female scientist, and that female combine assassin are clearly of more of a sexual nature than what the game came out to be. I know you're talking about the representation of sex and relationships in the final games, I just wanted to say I think you're focusing too much on that rather than how sex as a theme evolved in the games' productions when you say you don't like this video.
twat2021 Check out 5:42 and on.
@@marioman1242 It's still a dumb subject to focus on especially with how blunt the title is, if the point of your video is explained at the end of your informative video then that's a failure on the creator's part.
i'm going to have to disagree with this video on the black mesa east scene. i've never really seen that moment between alyx and mossman as sexually charged at all. they just generally have personalities that clash with each other and its clear that they fight all the time regardless of male presence. also, mossman's interest in gordon seemed to me to not have anything to do with sex but rather she is pretty narcissistic and feigns respect for him to cover up her jealousy of his accomplishments and the fact that he was given the position at Black Mesa that she likely would have been given if it weren't for him.
Y'all sleeping on Calhoun ngl, that man is charming, SEXY, and constantly wants to give Gordon his "beer"
Well, this is quite an odd video to run into you on..
Also, yes. Calhoun is a total bro.
That ending joke was so funny that it made me choke on my laughter which I didn't even know that was possible.
I wanted to see it
At least you didn't choke on anything too hard~...
SUBJECT: FREEMAN
STATUS: *_B O N E D_*
the you lucky dog you is the best
G-Man is manipulating the timeline so Gordon gets laid
Listen I know Alyx was supposed to be the romantic interest or whatever but have you SEEN Barney?
No
Yes
Huh, yeah. Barney is much better than Alyx. Damn, Barney.
@@PoProstuBoniacz hot af
yes. he's hot af. i'd rather throw alyx out of the window and run around with my black mesa beer owing buddy
2:20
Christ, knowing how thick the HEV suits are, I'm trying to figure out how this woman doesn't snap in two. There's barely room for a spine in that thing, let-alone a midriff.
the midsections are mainly rubber I think
That's honestly true for some artwork of Gordon Freeman too. Man must be pretty slender beneath the armour, tbh.
Canonically the hev suit removes the wearers bones
@@somerandonamedz9991 Major Fractures detected
I always thought Judith and Alyx fighting was more of a stepmom-stepdaughter angst thing, Judith worked with the combine almost entirely to protect Eli after all.
Alyx's attraction to Gordon makes sense, and Eli approves of Gordon's ability to take care of his daughter. And he wants grandbabies. Probably lots of them.
Kinda creepy since by Gordon's perspective she was an infant 24 hours prior to meeting her again
@@Feasco never really thought of that
@@Feasco I've been scrolling through this comment section, trying to see if someone had acknowledged that 💀
0:24
Valve did the Jack-O Pose before Jack-O being invented or getting popular
MY... GOD... Yer god damn right.
What the fuck is a jack o pose
It really brings the based out of me
"Even if he is a mute psychopath whose number of victims is probably now higher than his MIT thesis paper's word count." Is a great way to describe the Half-Life series and Gordon Freeman as a character.
it's really not though
@@557deadpoolwell yes, but actually, no
Concept artists: sex??
valve: no!!!!!!!!!
Concept artists: ... a little sex??
valve: .... okay fine.
6:00 Remember when in Doom 3 a female scientist begged you to help her and then her head got separated from her body and started floating around and trying to kill you?
Man that was so hot
💀💀💀
I like the teasing. It feels real and I hate it when people go ape shit over the smallest joke like that. Parents make jokes or tease there kids when they like someone.
I’m pretty sure you’re the only person to have ever made a video essay on this
Edit: you missed some things from the hl2 beta, like how in early versions of the story Gordon was supposed to wear a leather hellraiser inspired hev torture suit, and alyx was at one point supposed to take Gordon to “her place” for what may have been some kind of sensual scene (not sure about the scene, seems to be more of a rumor). Also the giant cut vagina monster that was supposed to pin the player down and leak fluids onto them, really half the creatures Ted Backman designed (the bullsquid was supposed to have a massive penis and was said to “attempt to mate with or eat everything it sees (paraphrasing)” in pre-release material). Also I’m kind of surprised you didn’t mention the gonarch but I suppose that one is kind of obvious. If Garry Newman is to be believed valve may not entirely be abandoning these themes since Garry Newman has mention there being a game in the source 2 that... well here is here’s a direct quote “all I’m gonna say is, TF2 but with all the characters are naked anime, thats all I can say”
Oh and as for fan things, when hl2 was leaked modders made Alyx and Kilner do things that really upset Gabe Newell, I think he talks a little bit about it in a G4tech tv documentary on hl2
i think JBmod (hl2 mod that inspired garry to make gmod)'s devs were the ones who made alyx and kleiner do things.
@@theheavy4216 they did things too but not with the hl2 leak iirc, though I wouldn’t be surprised if I was misremembering that
@@nfwrambo you're actually right, jbmod was created as a response to people on a hl2 forum who liked making alyx and others do things by using the physics gun, the mod was to simply reimplement it, but they evolved it a little further.
I gathered this info from one of JBmod's yt videos, it may or not be true.
@@theheavy4216 I wouldn’t be surprised if that was at least somewhat true, but those JB mod videos are basically JB propaganda. It’s been a while since I learned about the travesty that is JBmod’s history, but iirc those videos were made due to the people behind JBmod being spiteful dickheads after Gmod became more popular. The videos, lack of development and general behavior of JBMod’s devs reminds me a lot of yandere dev. Seriously it’s like that group fused into one person a decade later.
Gimp suit Gordon
Gimp suit Gordon
hard cut from "alyx is flustered by the comment which eli laughs at" to "then he fucking dies" genuinely made me laugh
Some people will think the relationship between Gordon and Alyx is weird considering Alyx is supposed to be 24 while Gordon is 47 (because he was in stasis for 20 years).
But in actuality, he is 27 because he didn't age during that time.
But Eli doesn't know this so...
@@mykll_art I was talking about the people who played half life. Not eli.
@@mykll_art Eli totally know's it, he's aware of the G-man and noted Gordon's complete lack of aging
@@mykll_art Many characters mention Gordon's lack of ageing and looking exactly the same, as the last time they saw him in Black Mesa. So they clearly know he is still 27, including and especially, Eli.
Its honestly kinda weird because in body and mind he's still 27. Unless he was aware those 20 years, buts that would be literal hell.
I'd actually argue that the scenes where everyone is trying to get Gordon's attention isn't so much about making the player feel popular, but to emphasise Gordan's own almost supernatural charisma and charm. From Half-life 1 to 2 you go from a complete personality-void that's only ordered around to a legend that everyone reveres and actually talks to. Half-life 2 is still one of the best examples of a Silent First-person protag that somehow manages to have something of a personality and relationships with those around him.
... but yeah, it was also probably to make the player feel popular.
Yeah, oh and don’t forget about shepherd, yes Gordon did some cool shit but shepherd stayed with black mesa until the end.
Gordon doesn't have "supernatural charisma", it's made pretty clear in the game that he's popular for 1. Surviving an uncountable and unfeasible amount of near-death experiences and being at the center of basically every major world-changing event and 2. Doing all of that again against even greater foes
@@robertwaksberg Well, there's that too.
Mossman and Alyx don't spend the majority of that chapter "fighting for Gordon's attention". Alyx barely knows Gordon at this point and it's implied that her issues with Mossman's attitude are nothing new. She later explains this. You are right however that their attraction/relationship develops naturally.
Yea alyx barely knows Gordon but she’s still infatuated with him because he’s like the second coming of Jesus Christ. Moss man is also clearly trying to impress Gordon in her opening monologue
@@RichterOvertime the only reason Alyx seems interested in Gordon is because of the legend that has been built up around him by Eli and others. Mossman at this point is also aware of this and is scheming to turn over Gordon to the Combine so it would make sense that she wants to work close with him. Whatever rivalries Alyx and Mossman existed before Gordon was added to the mix. Also, from a gameplay perspective, the player at this point is looking around the lab as a breather from the more stressful previous levels. It makes perfect sense for the characters to have a long dialogue about what the next best step is for Gordon while the player can experiment with objects around the room.
I never knew i needed this video. The ending is the cherry on the top of the cake.
Tomboy sunflower pfp?
nice
5:06 i laughed way to hard there
"then he fucking dies."
I PAUSED WHERE YOU SAID TO LOOK
@@cobblestone100mc *But not really*
@@odst_735 he spoiled casually
I Quote " This mute psychopath's body count is now higher than his MIT thesis word count"🤣
" Now that the supression field is down, we all have to do our parts."
-Eli Vance.
3:50 Bro everybody on Half life 2 threats Gordon as the second coming of Christ and since he is a Hero and a kind of legendary figure of course they will be interested in gordon.
I've always found it interesting and even commendable that Valve has alluded to the idea of using sexual imagery to illicit a emotional response from the player, beyond the easy path of just sheer titillation. The majority of developing and adult humans experience life with some degree of a sexual lens, it's an inherent property of our biological drives. Navigating these feelings is an undeniable aspect of the overall human experience. Valve using this imagery in an intelligent way to intentionally force players to confront these emotions, even subconsciously, is pretty cool. Especially if it serves ludo-narrative functions. Makes me wish that more games that used sexual themes did so in this way, rather than simply to only titillate and excite.
The only other game that I can think of that does this is in a similar way is _Dark Messiah of Might & Magic_ , which featured a succubus-like demon that used suggestive words and imagery to gradually "seduce" the player into aligning themselves with her as the narrative unfolded. The titillation is there, yes, but it's actively _weaponized_ against the player (who, given the time of release and the IP, were likely mostly comprised of heterosexual teenage boys) throughout the story in order to influence their decisions and actions, rather than only being a set piece to ogle at.
Back in the day I felt bad killing harpies in Serious Sam because they were half women
@@igorigor3960 I think that's another good example. Western culture places this emphasis (or historically has) that women are untouchable in times of duress and conflict. It was men who were supposed to deal with the brunt of violence and catastrophe. This romantic ideal gets placed into minds that women are these gentle, sacred beings who should be protected and sheltered above men. While this may have once served a useful evolutionary function, the full reality is that women and their position in times of crisis are just as nebulous and complex as men's. Not only are they equal receptors and responders to crisis, they are also equally capable of being instigators of said crisis. But an adolescents mind raised within this culture may at first struggle to make that distinction, and so when confronted with antagonizing women figures in video games, they may suffer a moment of cognitive dissonance; i.e. "I can't hurt women... but these women are attacking me! What do I do?..."
I think this affect has mostly died off in our modern day, after years of women being placed in more equal, nuanced roles within film and video games. I'm curious if a modern child would react in the same way.
@@the_real_Kurt_Yarish Are you joking?! The HL1 assassins are terrifying and I didn’t waste a second in trying to shoot them full of holes.
Jokes aside though I think you’re right, especially in regards to how that sort of thing has mostly worn off today. You still see some vestiges of it in the way video game journalism responds to violence perpetrated against female characters though.
I find it interesting that for decades, people have tried to use media to do just that but then censorship comes along and people stay in their comfort zones.
They'd rather have jiggling boob fanservice than be terrorized by a giant penis monster, unfortunately.
I don't know why, but it feels real funny to think that characters still think of Gordon the way he acts when you play as him, jumping around wildly, smacking shit with a crowbar, and throwing stuff at people.
He did do that at black mesa though, and that was the last time anyone has seen him until half-life 2 starts
The combine assassin is actually wearing what became long fall boots in portal, hence why she is able to jump around like crazy
I think this scene with the girls is more about describing to the player how important Gordon has become to the world and the resistance.
Any normal fan would agree with you.
@@lucascoval828 Same for the black ops females. What were they supposed to draw them like ? An obese SJW with pink hair ?
Women in their prime are sexy as hell to men, that's just the way it is. And yet, I haven't met a lot that it stopped from being effective in their work.
Deadly effective, here.
Yes, women have tits and yes, they may bounce. That is just reality.
6:24 ah yes, indie fanfic game based on the cult FPS game from the early 21st century, Get Down With The Freeman.
"then he fucking dies" that was unexpected lmao
"She's smart,Has a great personality,And knows the way to a man's heart is trough his sternum."
The sternum part got me laughing my ass off lmfao.
I miss game ads from that time.
Even the cringe.
"Then he fucking dies, but not really." You got me good haha
Just the way he delivers the line was perfect.
I wonder how many people were mad that HL:A's ending was spoiled then.
4:26 what do you mean "shame on you" you can barely see them shame on you bro lol
That tagline was good, mostly shows the lethal nature of the assassins given that they were initially gonna have crossbows.
Sternum being the central bone in the ribcage that guards the heart, and to get to it, you should *break* it.
Well the stream really forced itself as a video now
The fact your videos are in 4:3 really appeals to me for some reason
5:38 LMAO DONT ROAST GORDON LIKE THAT XDDDDDDDDDD
I think there's also a lot of important sexual and phallic imagery beyond just the character designs themselves. The great big protruding citadel, the sheer amount of aliens that look like buttholes in HL1, the semi-vaginal imagery of headcrab's mouth, etc
The citadel is angular, metal, alien and with cables crossing everywhere, what the fuck?
Richter wtf?
the delivery of "then he fucking dies" is perfect. what a way to go out.
While I chuckled at the title-and thought it would be about mods-it was actually really interesting, and I learned a lot that I didn’t really think about/know. Dig your stuff
Litteraly only things resembling mods rn are model replacements and a seperate unreal engine game in beta.
I literally never thought about this at all. I never saw Alyx as a sex appeal, and just thought the jokes about Alyx and Gordon being together was just funny. Maybe it's because I'm a gay guy. Valve did a great job at making the sexual themes subtle enough so that they don't jump out, but present enough that when I look back on it, I'm amazed I didn't see it.
I agree wholeheartedly. I am also gay too, and I'm like "Alyx is just some lady!" And when I realized Alyx was supposed to be a romantic interest character. Then I thought "oh, so all that annoying dialouge was because she's trying to get Gordon's attention".
Cringe
Yeah, same here. I just thought she was a sort of annoying friend, and the jokes about them being together was just an attempt at humor. The one from Eli did honestly disgust me the first time I heard it though.
homosexual
ha gay
Eli: "...we all have to do our... part."
Richter: *BREED HER*
4:56 the suddon "Then he fucking dies." killed me bro 😭😭
Gordon as a Teletubby made my day, because it was actually funny.
lol, i loved how pissed off people got about someone making a nude mod for alyx as if rule 34 can't apply to half life
Gordon is a highly trained professional he doesn't need to hear all that...
Eli: Hey Gordon do you mind making me some grandchildren? You seem to be the right man for the job.
Gordon:
Eli: *fucking dies* I'm ok
4:55 The fact that you managed to say that with only a slight chuckle is, frankly, astounding to me
The voicelines where security guards flirt with the two HEV-suited scientists is lighthearting.
and they're fucking creepy
Ew no
@@rufus2645
No.
0:12 this clip hurt
Unironically one of the best half life videos on youtube
5:43 The HEV suit is designed to basically be the greatest protective suit ever made. Being able to stop 9mm bullets etc isn't exactly hard to do. The suit probably uses some heavy-duty fabric weave, just like kevlar. This explains why Gordon still gets injured, but can take a lot of hits before going down.
Ross Scott's Freeman is the only one I can see as canon now. He doesn't care about the women orbiting him, seeing Mossman as an idiot with no appreciation for the gravity of the situation, and Alyx as a developmentally stunted adult child.
Sigma freeman basically
Sigma freeman basically
I love your videos, not only you make them entertaining and interesting, but the fact that you upload them in 4:3 hearts my old school heart. Thank you for you work
I'm glad you like the videos more on the way soon
Mr. friendly was doing the Jack-O pose the whole time.
"Which eli laughs at... then he fucking dies. But Not really"
The way to a man's heart is through his sternum, but Gordon also has a layer of HEV suit in the way
I didn’t even realise that Judith and Alyx fought over Gordon’s attention because every time I get to that part I’m never listening to the dialogue and just trying to get out of bounds
i just arrived from school and turned on my phone, this is the 1st thing that appears in my screen once i unlock it. imagine my fucking reaction (i laughed a lot)
Man i always love your narrations
Your voice is always making those videos more enjoyable
Glad you enjoy it man
@@RichterOvertime ofc i do Man , you always make Args interesting and fun to listen to
You deserve more popularity
When you think about, it's pretty funny how Barney and Eli are into the idea of Gordon and Alyx getting together, considering how from their perspectice, he's like 40 years old
Alyx was literally a baby when HL1 began. But since Gordon was in stasis for 20 years they're technically the same age.
@@energeticyellow1637 Gordon's 20?
@@joycemerlynjm chronologically 40, biologically 20
@@sergdraws no way Gordon's 20 in HL1, I swear he looks older.
@@joycemerlynjm that happens to stressed out MIT graduates who have to wear a heavy ass orange suit all the time
"Alyx gets flustered and embarrassed, which Eli laughs at. Then he fucking dies." 💀
"...which eli laughs at *and then he fucking dies* " i love this video so much
I'm glad that there weren't unnaturally humongous honkers in hl1. Makes it more mature I guess.
Yeah. I like unnaturally humongous honkers, but it wouldn't fit in half-life.
Don't hurt yourself with those stretches.
Lmao
Please man
I was having such a good day
Yes
“And Alyx gets flustered. Then he fu$@ing dies”
the most useful richter overtime video
There was a line from the half life 2 beta idk where exactly they was supposed to appear but based on the context maybe right after you put on the HEV suit.
Anyways Barney was supposed to tell you “You’re in pretty good shape for a man of science” when I first heard it in a voice line compilation i deadass had to rewind because the tone caught me off guard. Could come off as a bit *saucy*
"Alyx gets flustered and embarrassed which Eli laughs at"
"THEN HE FUCKING DIES"
L O L
it's sad how hard the half life decay guards try so hard to come up with pickup lines only to get no answer from both protagonists
All they can say is ahh, and a laugh
@@Eggzboss lmao yes
5:06 This gave me intense laughter.
"Alyx gets flustered and embarrased"
"Which Eli laughs at"
"Then he fucking dies"