just wondering...

[kacation_man]

Why is the 2 games called half-life? what does the title mean and how does it represent the over all them or story of the first and second game?

 

[Cole]

It represents very little.
Half-Life is a science term. Basically the Half-Life of something half the
radioactive nuclei in any sample to undergo radioactive decay. The Half-Life of something never ends because you basically keep on takes halves of it, example:
Lets say something takes 1 million years for it's half-life, this number starts at 100. So in 1 million years it's at 50, the next million 25, the next 12.5, the next 6.25, and etc.. it never reaches 0.

The name itself plays a role because you were in Black Mesa a research facility that use to be a millitary base which has alot of radioactive material. Plus it sounds cool. Other than that, no meaning to the game.

 

[_Z_Ryuken]

Isn't Freeman a nuclear physicist?

I really don't know I'm just putting it out there.

 

[Krabjuice]

It sounds badass, and smart.

 

[kacation_man]

well i know what the scientific meaning of it was, i was just wondering what it had to do with the game because I never saw and/or heard anthing of it in the first game... and yeah it dose sound badass.

 

[_Z_Ryuken]

I think it's a pun that Gordon is working with nuclear forces and his project causes him to throw half his metaphorically life away, and the waiting period between new games is like waiting for radioactive material to decay.

 

[kacation_man]

possibly.

 

[Adabiviak]

The two halves make a whole.

 

[kacation_man]

good point.

 

[CyberPitz]

Lets take a small part from "Raising The Bar"

"When choosing a name for the game, we tried to establish criteria: it needed to be evocative of the theme, avoid clches in the genere, and have a corresponding visual mark. We brainstormed some ideas, and then picked Half=Life. We wanted to communicate the science fiction feel, the more mature sense that we were going after a game that was not just a shooting gallery. There was going to be a richer experience and more thought-provoked one...and so Half-Life. We thought about that, and that seemed cool, we had tried to look at Half-Dead. We went though hundreds of different names, Half-Life was the one that stuck out fairly quickly." - Gabe Newell our lord and savior.

Damnit, I dug out my RTB for you, be grateful

 

[kacation_man]

cool... that sounds logical... and Half life does sound better then half dead.

 

[_Z_Ryuken]

I've never heard of RTB until like a few days ago.

 

[Tollbooth Willie]

Isn't Freeman a nuclear physicist?

I really don't know I'm just putting it out there.

I think he is a Theoretical/ Quantum Physicist.

 

[_Z_Ryuken]

Yeah I just installed HL1 two days ago and it says what he is right at the beginning.

Theoretical physicist.

 

[DEATH eVADER]

The two Half-Life games were full of scientific terms

The name "Half-Life" obviously, also comes with the chapter called "Surface Tension" (scientific term)
"Opposing force" (Magnetism?)
"Blue Shift" (Opposite of Red Shift I believe)
"Decay"

Half-Life 2 with its chapter "Entanglement"

 

[coLE']

Gordon was a nuclear physicist