My love to valve, you shaped my life

Ravioli

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"lamba" hope you know who i am ;)


I have something to say, not only to the people here, but to Valve themself. This might sound odd, but....I...."love"....Valve. Yes, i do, yes i am dumb, yes i am sick. But yes, I DO LOVE VALVE.

I am starting to see how Valve has shaped my life, and i have noticed many things in the past few years, or rather said childhood. Wait? Did is say "rather said"...yes i did, there it is, again (true hl fans will notice what i mean)


I dont know where to start, but lets take a look back when i was 7 years old.


I remember coming home from school one day, and i was tierd and sad. My friends where bullying me. I only had 1 best friend, but he left me :( He joined the others. But that was about to change soon.

When i came home, my dad was sitting at the computer, he usually just check mail and news, or play some "combat flight simulation". I went to him and noticed something on the screen, something that would make me write this on day. I asked what he was doing.

"Nah, im just playing...whats the name again? Oh yea, Half-life, i got it from a friend at work."

I watched as he played, i dont remember much, but i remember being afraid, just afraid. When i saw him at the computer, i runned and hided under the table, and refused to move till he turned it off, i was so scared of those sounds. In a short time, i started to join him, playing half-life, and thats where it all started.

We use to switch turns, he plays one "loading" then my turn, and so on. I couldnt play so good because i wasnt use to "PC" but to "Macintosh" platform games only LOL. I used the arrows to walk around, and enter to shot, i never even tuched the mouse. My dad told me how to play properly, he put my hands over the key-board and teached me, he trained my aim. Soon, i could play better, and came furthur in the game. This was a relationship, between my dad and me. Usually, we didnt spend much time together, but now we did spend hours. I remember when i followed him to buy food, and we where discussing the story of half-life. We talked about Black Mesa and XEN and who the Soldiers where. (remember, i was 7 years old then).

Later on, my mind started to change, my life started to change. I got my best friend back by showing him Half-life, and soon, we where both real gamers! A gamer is not a person that play games...no, wrong. A gamer is a person, which has feelings and intrest in the world behind the screen, and the gods of the world. A gamer is a person which writes logos of the game, which creats costom designs for the game, a gamer is.....another personallity, which can only live in a world born in the screen.

Me and my friend wrote the Half-life logo on our hands and clothes. Some people thought we where stupid and thought we where nazis (the logo looks like an incomplete nazi mark lol) But we where still proud to wear the logos.

Later on, a few years later, more and more people i knew owned half-life, and usually Counter-strike. Now, some people just buy half-life to play CS, and they think of themself as Valve fans?

I remember a girl in my class, i dont remember how old i was, but it was about 5 grade i think (swedish grade) and we became friends, thanks to Valve. We played counter-strike alot, and it was very fun, but then she had to move from our city :( and i had not got the chance to discover the possibilitys of MSN messenger :(

Time went on, and expansions came. I remember playing Half-life when my father got home, and guess what he held in is hand? We shiny, green, box, WITH the Lambda symbold on it :D Now THAT made me drul. Those box arts and the shiny plastic just make me want to kiss it! And once again, me and my father spent more time together!

Soon after that, Gun-man and Blue shift came, which was really great games! I remember when i asked my mom to buy Blue-Shift, it cost 108 KR, exakly 108, i will never forget that number!

I started to discover the internet, and the "gaming community" whatever that was. I saw half-life allover the net, and see how fans spread like Gonarchs little babies, comming in swarms and waves.

As soon as i got more understanding for gaming, i downloaded every, single, possible Modificaton for half-life. There is not a singleone i could have missed (if i have, then im ashamed). Valve game me the basics on how a game is built. Without valve, i wouldnt have my knowledge, they gave me complete understanding for designs and computers.

My creativity started to develope when i was very young, it all started with changing the sounds for Counter-strike! And from there, it went on. I even made a closer relationship to a new friend, well, i knew him from day-care, but we got closer with half-life. We looked at the files and created our own little mod (which failed ofcorse) but we where so happy.

I also started to learn "mapping". My father showed me the program "world craft" (aka Hammer). I got so frustrated and angry, because i JUST COULDNT FIX THE TEXTURES!!! Lol, no really, i was so angre all day because i didnt understand the program. But soon enough, i was a pro.

I remember being called "a half-life nerd". As soon as i said something, for example "guess what i drew in Art class?" and someone would jump in and say "what, half-life? Freegay?" I was bullied by friends, but they didnt know what i was doing at home, in my computer. Soon, my famely started to call me stuff, when we where eating, and i told something, they would always comment me by adding un-serious half-life stuff that has nothing to do with the subject......they just laughed.

When i told my friends i could map and do designs, they just laughed, they called my "design gay", they didnt want to see the truth that i was talent at something. But one day, is showed them, i showed them HARD. Also my famely, and everyone got more understanding, and i gained some respect, all i had to do is to show them my stuff.

One day, i e-mailed Sierra, and asked if valve where working on a "half-life2" but i got no answer. But soon, the bomb was dropped. I remember when each time a new video was released, i would scream to my friend in the telephone to get his ass to my house, so we could watch it, and we watched it over and over and over again.

We discussed the source engine, and talked about the possibility for future games, we thought of creating a mod of our neighboor hood, but soon everything would break apart...

I remember the day clear, it was the last day of school, summer 2004. I was going to leave, leave my home and my countrey, for long. I was going to move to Italy, a countrey far far away, i had no idea what was waiting.

Ofcorse, the last thing we did, was to play Half-life games at a Lan Cafe, i remember the last picture of me and my friend, its in my mind, we where waving to each other, and i went of, never saw him again, and still havent. Ofcorse i have contact on MSN.

Now, here i am, in italy. Im going to an American school here, where there are no gamers at all.........it was terrible. I could not survive, NO ONE KNEW WHAT HALF-LIFE WAS! OMG! I WAS FREAKING OUT. I didnt make much friends because i didnt know where to start, i mean, usually when i meet new people, the first thing you say "have you played half-life?"

And here it is the same, no one knows what i can create. I want to show them, but as soon as i talk about a game, they connect the word "game" as "geek".

In a few months, i will visit my friends in sweden, it will be awsome, and we will play Aftermath together (i will stay there the whole summer)

I still walk around with half-life logos, even though it also stands for "gay pride" lol. (im not gay...just checking lol) I even have the half-life logo RIPPED on my binder, so everyone can see!

So, that what i wanted to tell. I couldnt write all the stuff, lots are missing. And im still forgeting stuff. This was just a very short summary of what Valve have made to me, have improved my life.



And for all of you that call Gabe Newell an asshole......dont. Gabe Newell is wonder full, i mean, how many guys leading a company like this, takes his time to spend with his fans?

I dont know if Gabe will ever see this.....but i hope he does, i hope EVERYONE at Valve see this, as a sign for what they do.


Valve....you brought me and my father closer, and my life better...i dont know how to thank you. Right now, im going off for Half-life Radio. Cya!


"btw, im lambda if remember me <g> I wrote this post here because im thankfull for what you did! Im so.....happy........
 
nice
but geez its just a game
if its coming between you and friendships you've made the wrong choice
 
Awww, cute.

I'm glad you <3 valve, so do I.
 
Hey im that girl in your class !!
remember me !?

....


jk... :|


But dude really it just a game , nothing much
 
It might be a game, but a game which has chaped my life! I mean, i get great grades in school thanks of half-life. I mean, i make stories based on Half-life, i make reports based on half-life, i make movies based on half-life. And i get a GOOD GRADE in school for that! Just for a game....
 
Don't you have any life memories outside of half-life? Like the first time you touched a booby? Unless you did so with Alyx in garrys mod...i suppose that sort of counts.
 
Ravioli said:
It might be a game, but a game which has chaped my life! I mean, i get great grades in school thanks of half-life. I mean, i make stories based on Half-life, i make reports based on half-life, i make movies based on half-life. And i get a GOOD GRADE in school for that! Just for a game....
Yeah i copied the entire intro sequence for opposing force for a creative english essay. English teachers generally want to hear stories of some introverted existentialist and their battle with life, they don't like stories about freaking aliens and marines and stuff. I got a c- for it.
 
Mr-Fusion said:
Don't you have any life memories outside of half-life? Like the first time you touched a booby? Unless you did so with Alyx in garrys mod...i suppose that sort of counts.

rofl!!!!
 
It might be a game, but a game which has chaped my life! I mean, i get great grades in school thanks of half-life. I mean, i make stories based on Half-life, i make reports based on half-life, i make movies based on half-life. And i get a GOOD GRADE in school for that! Just for a game....
like it or not that aint healthy buddy
if one game - and gaming is an antisocial experience for the most part - has shaped all your life then what have you accomplished in life?
i mean what sports so you play, how many friends do you have that have never heard of hl, do you play music, draw art that hasnt been inspired by hl
do you hang around with girls (those who do not play games)?
i wouldnt wish your life on anyone to be blunt
you are substituting a shallow virtual existance for reality - it is a game
just like lost in translation is a film or a clockwork orange is a book - nothing more
 
erm i read the first 2 lines then saw the rest, that must of took along time to type. Lets just copy what other people have said

dude its only a game
 
john3571000 said:
like it or not that aint healthy buddy
if one game - and gaming is an antisocial experience for the most part - has shaped all your life then what have you accomplished in life?
i mean what sports so you play, how many friends do you have that have never heard of hl, do you play music, draw art that hasnt been inspired by hl
do you hang around with girls (those who do not play games)?
i wouldnt wish your life on anyone to be blunt
you are substituting a shallow virtual existance for reality - it is a game
just like lost in translation is a film or a clockwork orange is a book - nothing more

Oh shit, I forgot you have to play sports and have lots of freinds and be a hit with the ladys to lead a happy life?

Gaming can be social as he has demonstrated, it bought him and his father closer together and helped him with his freind.
 
Oh shit, I forgot you have to play sports and have lots of freinds and be a hit with the ladys to lead a happy life?
well yeah you do
hell i play games but it doesnt ever come between me and going out with friends or being with my girlfriend. ever
Gaming can be social as he has demonstrated, it bought him and his father closer together and helped him with his freind.
Gaming, particularly pc gaming is an experinece you have alone even in the "social" environment of multiplayer. And hell i'd seriously question the sense and intelligence in letting any 7 year old play a game as violent and adult as halflife even under adult supervision.
 
john3571000 said:
well yeah you do
hell i play games but it doesnt ever come between me and going out with friends or being with my girlfriend. ever

That makes YOU happy, gaming makes this guy happy, just because he dosent conform to YOUR sense of standards he leads a shallow life that you wouldnt want to wish on anybody?

john3571000 said:
Gaming, particularly pc gaming is an experinece you have alone even in the "social" environment of multiplayer. And hell i'd seriously question the sense and intelligence in letting any 7 year old play a game as violent and adult as halflife even under adult supervision.

Lan centers, playing in the same room etc. Some people know if their children are idiotic enough to know the difference between a virtual world and the real world as to make the judgement if they can watch "violent" games like half life.
 
take me for example, Im 13 and play doom 3, but u dont see me with plasma guns killing everyone :p, Plus Ravoili (Sorry cant spell) I totally agree with u man, Im a total game geek and my favourite game is Half life.. and always will be.. :D (Yep i got no "outside life" only the time i go outside is school :D)
 
That makes YOU happy, gaming makes this guy happy, just because he dosent conform to YOUR sense of standards he leads a shallow life that you wouldnt want to wish on anybody?
yes if what he says is true that isnt a balanced lifestyle and no i would nt wish a life of bullying and ostrcisation on anyone - cos that is what his obsession has done
and its a vicious circle he seems to have found solace in the game when times were bad which made things worse
gaming makes this guy happy
gaming makes me happy but it is not the alpha and omega of life - if heroin makes someone happy does that mean that i should applaud their addiction

Some people know if their children are idiotic enough to know the difference between a virtual world and the real world as to make the judgement if they can watch "violent" games like half life.
so desensitising your child to extreme violence is ok as long as the parents say that he can handle it regardless of game ratings, film ratings, tv curfews, psychological study and government advice
 
^Ben said:
Awww, cute.

I'm glad you <3 valve, so do I.

Sorry for the offtopic, I don't want to start a new thread just for this question:

How do you read/pronounce: "<3". I've seen this a lot lately, though, I can't figure out, how should I read it and what does it actually mean (well in this context I guess it means "like")
 
Sufferin-rebel said:
take me for example, Im 13 and play doom 3, but u dont see me with plasma guns killing everyone :p, Plus Ravoili (Sorry cant spell) I totally agree with u man, Im a total game geek and my favourite game is Half life.. and always will be.. :D (Yep i got no "outside life" only the time i go outside is school :D)
Well you're only 13. Lots of life ahead.

Just make sure when you're faced with decisions in the future to go out with friends or stay at home and game.... go out with friends. I refused hundreds of invites during my teenage years because i just found gaming to be far more interesting/tempting/easy.

Reality will try and tear you away from that computer screen, eventually it will win. When you're finally torn away and find your social skills are years behind your peers, and your life experiences stagnated a long time ago....you get to see the damage your decisions have made. I was a very stubborn person and had to learn the hard way....

Games are ****ing awesome btw! Just find a balance between games and real life. Ravioli my friend...you must...bring ..balance..
 
Mr-Fusion said:
Well you're only 13. Lots of life ahead.

Just make sure when you're faced with decisions in the future to go out with friends or stay at home and game.... go out with friends. I refused hundreds of invites during my teenage years because i just found gaming to be far more interesting/tempting/easy.

Reality will try and tear you away from that computer screen, eventually it will win. When you're finally torn away and find your social skills are years behind your peers, and your life experiences stagnated a long time ago....you get to see the damage your decisions have made. I was a very stubborn person and had to learn the hard way....

Games are ****ing awesome btw! Just find a balance between games and real life. Ravioli my friend...you must...bring ..balance..

I do have times when i get bored of games and want to see some Sun shine :D
 
wow. just wow.
Games are for entertainment, nothing more. How could you say just one little game shaped your entire life? o_0
I don't usually so openly insult people on the net like this, but you have to be one of the biggest losers I have ever seen.
Forget about Half-Life. Get out, get some friends, and get a life.
 
Shit man I hope you know making a post like that of your own life is going to get people talking sh!t.

I can understand how you feel I used to do the same for a few old games (*cough* Outlaws *cough*) and I would write storys based off of it and all that gay stuff. But one day you'll get into somthing else. Your young, your supposed to be playing games and having a imagination. Who knows maybe you'll find your place making games or whatever.

-dev
 
Teta_Bonita said:
Forget about Half-Life.
Pun
Teta_Bonita said:
and get a life.
Pun end :D

D€vIL² said:
Shit man I hope you know making a post like that of your own life is going to get people talking sh!t.

I can understand how you feel I used to do the same for a few old games (*cough* Outlaws *cough*) and I would write storys based off of it and all that gay stuff. But one day you'll get into somthing else, your what 13? Yeah your still young, your supposed to be playing games and having a imagination. Who knows maybe you'll find your place making games or whatever.

-dev
Dont worry when im older i will be making the games :{ :thumbs:
 
so desensitising your child to extreme violence is ok as long as the parents say that he can handle it regardless of game ratings, film ratings, tv curfews, psychological study and government advice
Oh please...
Most kids discover computer games at the age of 7, where they already have a good image that certain things hurt and shouldn't be done. They aren't mindless drones that don't know the difference between reality and virtual reality. If reloading from a previous point is real to you, well, go ahead. But in my book that's still quite unrealistic.
Now, to respond to your advice :
"game ratings" : Ok, selling an 18+ game like DooM 3 to a 7 year old kid is unresponsible, I agree with that. But when you're 12, games aren't going to mess up your mind anymore!
"film ratings" : Almost NO ONE listens to that. If there is EXTREME GORE (eg DOTD) in the movie, and you show it to a 7< year old kid, that's unesponsible. Otherwise, it doesn't really matter.
"tv curfews" : The parents just send their children to bed at about 21.00h, and the parents are the actual curfew.
"psychological study" : GAMES ARE EVIL THEY DESTROY CHILDRENS MINDS EVEN IF THEY ARE 15+!!! IT'S NOT LOGICAL, BUT WE SAY IT IS DAMMIT!!!! WE = ALWAYS RIGHT!!!!
"government advice" : Did you know, that after every hour of playing in front of the computer, you have to do something non-screen related for fifteen minutes? How many people do you think do that? Twelve? Maybe less?
 
Beerdude26 said:
Oh please...
Most kids discover computer games at the age of 7, where they already have a good image that certain things hurt and shouldn't be done. They aren't mindless drones that don't know the difference between reality and virtual reality. If reloading from a previous point is real to you, well, go ahead. But in my book that's still quite unrealistic.
Now, to respond to your advice :
"game ratings" : Ok, selling an 18+ game like DooM 3 to a 7 year old kid is unresponsible, I agree with that. But when you're 12, games aren't going to mess up your mind anymore!
"film ratings" : Almost NO ONE listens to that. If there is EXTREME GORE (eg DOTD) in the movie, and you show it to a 7< year old kid, that's unesponsible. Otherwise, it doesn't really matter.
"tv curfews" : The parents just send their children to bed at about 21.00h, and the parents are the actual curfew.
"psychological study" : GAMES ARE EVIL THEY DESTROY CHILDRENS MINDS EVEN IF THEY ARE 15+!!! IT'S NOT LOGICAL, BUT WE SAY IT IS DAMMIT!!!! WE = ALWAYS RIGHT!!!!
"government advice" : Did you know, that after every hour of playing in front of the computer, you have to do something non-screen related for fifteen minutes? How many people do you think do that? Twelve? Maybe less?

Well i've read bollox before......
dude what the hell is your point - i pointed out quite reasonably that halflife should not be played by anyone who hasnt at least started puberty
not all psychological studies say that games are bad - ultra violent games are a poor choice of entertainment for children who are still in the easily impressionable stage of their lives
so i guess you must be all in all a delightful individual or more likely a complete antisocial cs kiddie
 
hey Ravioli don't worry about what other people say is healthy or normal (well, listen to your doctor!) they aren't you!

the most important thing is that you are happy and the thing that makes you happy doesn't hurt other people
 
Way to be stupid and turn this damn thread into a flamfest. if you can't contribute to the thread in a positive way, then dont post, spare us the mindless drull.

BOT....That's how I found out about HL...I woke up one morning and my dad was playing it multiplayer. This was when it first came out, and the keygens worked. So my dad d/led a copy and kept the cdkey for himself. It still works to this day..sweet. But since that day, I was hooked!
 
so i guess you must be all in all a delightful individual or more likely a complete antisocial cs kiddie
I'll go for the first one, thank you ^-^
 
tbh, if that's what makes you happy - fair play to you mate :)

Games to me are just a bit of fun - but hell, I ain't gonna tell you that your life is 'sad' etc - it's not my place or any of our places to do so :)
 
T.H.C.138 said:
hey Ravioli don't worry about what other people say is healthy or normal (well, listen to your doctor!) they aren't you!

the most important thing is that you are happy and the thing that makes you happy doesn't hurt other people


Thanks man, nice see some people showing some respect. Some people may call me a looser without life, but life equals happyness, and im happy in my life now, so no, i have a life. Some guys might not understand that other people like other things more then a normal person would.

Some people like music, they make music, all their friend is music, all they talk about is music.....are they loosers to? No, their not. And please, dont see me as a guy playing games 7 hours a day. No, i do alot of other things, but as i am now, im stuck in a forgen (spell?) countrey, for 3 years, i havent seen my friends in a whole f***** year.....so the computer is the only contact. But when i get back (visit for summer) we will play lots of games, and write rap like hell!

Once again, respect each other! :D
 
I used to be kinda like that choosing to play games than have a kick about with my mates but i've totally changed, today at College i could have gone home at lunch like i usually do and play CS:S but i decided to stay in College to chill with my mates. People change over time and as ravoili said he's in a foreign country so give him a break, don't flame me for repeating whats possibly already been said.
 
As much as I love Valve too...I think it's pretty sad to go that far, but that is if it were me...it's not something I would do. But if that's you, fair does :)

If I remember correctly, games ripped a hole in my relationship with my family. But thats just games in general. Hehe, my family are morons.
 
i can understand how ravioli feels

While i didn't really start playing games with half life, it was the beginning of my PC gaming FPS addiction. the only FPS games i've played before that were stints of wolfenstein, duke3d, doom, alot of goldeneye.

But as far as games influencing my life. I would have to hand that to Battletech and Warcraft 2.

I first learned of battletech back in 3rd grade with the cartoon. This was back in '93. Since then i gain a strong appreciation for giant robots. I'm not exactly sure when warcraft 2 came out. But i remember my uncle used to play it, and I would always browse through the manuals while he played. I always liked the art of warcraft, so i constantly tried to draw in the hope of being able to draw as good as the warcraft artists.

Fast forward a couple years and i was drawing all the time, I became really good at drawing robots among other things. The more i drew the better i got.

Now i am in an expensive art college up to my eyeballs in loans studying to be an illustrator. All because i liked giant robots and warcraft art.

Things would have turned out much differently if i was into sports, thats for certain.
 
he's better off being addicted to half-life rather than drugs and booze.
 
Now, I'm not going to go so far as to say that valve shaped who I am, and what I am; I thank my friends and family for that. However, I will say that... Without Half-Life 1, I would not be nearly as computer smart.

I started to really understand computers (Windows anyway... I'd been using windows since 3.1, when I was a wee child), files, and folders a lot more (now I know lots and lots more about computers, building my first one last summer) by adding models and skins to half-life deathmatch.

I almost enjoyed that more than I did actually playing the game. So, my neighbors call me up these days and I fix their computers, and I'm building computers for people, etc, and making money doing it. So, really... Valve indirectly gave me my most effective hobby, AND I'm making money for it.

So, that's cool. Whatever makes you happy, is completely cool, as long as you understand that, you should make friends in you rnew home, not only at your old home, si?
 
nice story to tell your grandchildren :p

diluted said:
he's better off being addicted to half-life rather than drugs and booze.

I agree With him :smoking:
 
Well, I've heard of wierder things. Fantasies about wrapping people in saran wrap and masturbating on them is only one of them. I know things. Terrible...terrible things.
 
Ravioli said:
It might be a game, but a game which has chaped my life! I mean, i get great grades in school thanks of half-life. I mean, i make stories based on Half-life, i make reports based on half-life, i make movies based on half-life. And i get a GOOD GRADE in school for that! Just for a game....


Meh, you woulda found a reason to aspire to what you wanted to anyway if hl2 hadn't existed.
 
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