Portal's Rattmann dens left such a profund impact me as a child I wrote about it for a school assignment. No other game has given the feeling of dread Portal did all those years ago.
What's almost scarier than the feeling of being watched is midway through Portal 2 when you fall into old Aperture and are suddenly very, very alone. You've spent the whole game with at least one character with or watching you and then suddenly theres... no one.
In a way, Gregori is like your overwatch (not the combine overwatch), but your guardian. He’s constantly guarding you against enemies throughout level. So, he kind of is watching you, but with good intention.
When I first played Portal 2 and found a ratman den, I would get so freaked out and wouldn't want to replay those specific levels, thinking that he was actually there in the game, watching me just out of sight. Incredible ambiance that game has, I swear to god. Obviously with time that fear died off but I doubt anything is going to compare to that.
@@madsting6486 the director is an ai that spawns infected and items depending on how you're playing and your current situation. I think it can change the map too
in these valves games youre being watched by -half life 1 & 2 : the gman -half life alyx : russell -portal 1 & 2 : glados, ratman and wheatley -team fortress 2 : the administrator -left 4 dead 1 & 2 : the special infected
I remember finding that weird Ratman rambling audio when I was messing around with audio files in Hammer, and I always thought that those sounds went totally unused in the final game. They were just so quiet in the Ratman dens that I never noticed it!
it should be noted that this is certainly the case for any game that even FEELS like Source. Voices of the Void is a game built on Unreal, but made to feel exactly like Source, and it's paranoia af.
I intend on actually covering Voices of the Void at some point in time in the future! i played it for about 10 minutes once and it nailed the atmosphere PERFECTLY.
13:14 whats funny is you're 100% correct on that. if you get close to several walls with his drawings, you can actually hear his ramblings more clearly. its another case of Portal 2's amazing adaptive soundtrack
That pretty much sums up why people feel so special about the Source engine. It's not really the _engine_, it's the shared assets that are used in the games - I think especially sounds that evoke the memories of being watched. Kelly Bailey has done incredible work on building these soundscapes and music that IMO is the foundation of the "source engine nostalgia".
small correction on what you said about Ravenholm. It wasn't bombarded when the combine arrived, it was used as a resistance base for some time, basically everyone who worked at Black Mesa East lived there. However, the combine discovered them and shelled the place with Headcrab canisters.
I love the spooky atmosphere in these games. Especially in Half-Life 2 and Portal 1. The moments of silence when you stop and take a moment to look around, knowing what's out there in the world (or in Portal's case not knowing) really remind you what a dangerous and desolate world it is in the Half-Life universe.
a great video ! I honestly really like the way you talk. Furthemore I'd like to say that the paranoia in my opinion comes from the ambiances souds, nowadays games are quiet and without music muted, but in the case of valve's game there's also some ambiance sound playing that matches with the area you're in, not to mention these ambiance sounds are ALWAYS eerie yet don't feel out of place.
I found you today and I loved too watched this Video because I'm in love with Valve Game. Always, this atmosphere when you are in the world is incredible. For me just a perfect example for a perfect Story Game. Ty for that kind of Video, keep going Man.
This was an awesome video. I played all of these games and they all have this really unique feeling and style I’ve always loved and appreciated so much. Seeing this really nice breakdown of the atmosphere made me remember how I felt when I first played them. Thank you for that and please keep up your good work. You deserve more recognition
Whenever I play highway 17, I never feel safe in or near any of the houses even after i've cleared them. Usually because there's a guy I missed, but the decayed design of the houses and the fog doesn't help either.
It is the ambient sounds which consisting mix of vibrations that can make ppl feel "erry" and un-easy. The chosen colour tones is wise and have a brush of loniless in every scene. Psycho warfare techniques have been applied into an AAA game which is pretty rare IMHO. Nice video btw. 😉
my theory is that its not because of gman who IS watching you, or anyone in lore is watching you like the administrator. Its because the player is always use to those maps being filled to the brim with people or NPC, in tf2 maps, there is always people running around and shooting and playing the game, drowning out the eerie ambients, but when your alone that ambience is the only thing you hear, hl1 and 2 is always filled with npcs, rebels, lamda stashes to find and combines to kill but without them, there is only ambients with nothing to distract you from it, portal is always filled with turrets and the frequent glados monolouges, but when they arent there there is nothing.
This analysis is exceptionally made! Fantastic editing, voice over, and break down of each game. While I don't think this is the first video I've seen on the topic of paranoia & phycological effects in Valve games, it stands out!
watching this amazing video I went to check and you only have 290 subscribers??? my guy you're producing video essays on another level! subscribed and excited to see more
The Half Life 2, Episode 1 and 2 did give me that feeling of being watched if I pause and look around the map. And sometimes, any map I load in Gmod gives off the same feeling.
I once came across an image of someone taking a picture of their tv. The person was playing portal 1 and gazing up at one of the observatories in the lab, but there was a shadow figure of a doctor staring back. The mixture of the quality and the ambiance with the image made me see portal in a very diffident light.
Fantastic video! This articulates why I like the atmosphere and world of Valve's work more than I could originally describe myself. I'll certainly take these notes and rules into whatever envoronments I design next. Thank you for putting the time in to accentuate the editing, it adds a lot to the point you're trying to make too. :)
Usually i don’t stick around for the end, but i want you to know i loved this video, and i think we should be thanking you for posting such great content. This video was amazing
Amazing video, and essay, really like the style, the tone and the theme, seen before but at the same time, your own taste. Kudos for it, you made me wanna try again in the future some of my ideas. Can't wait for the next one.
yo you're super underrated i hope you get the attention you deserve, this was a great watch as someone who grew up on these games and i agree with pretty much everything, keep it up :)
You tapped into the music with ghost of rattmann, but i feel a bit part of the "paranoid" feeling is for sure the music. Paired with the slow, dark and lonely moments, the music really gets you to think; and thinking, a lot of the time, is plain uncomfortable. One scene in half life 2 that does this really well is the bridge scene. The bridge is just so lonely and isolated, and there's a sort of despair; yet you know that the combine is monitoring you, after all, they send many soldiers and even a gunship after you onto the bridge. It's just so well done.
I never played any of these, myself. Overall, despite my ignorance of the games, the production values of this video are remarkably good. I find this strangely compelling.
Left 4 dead was never a scary game to me until I played Last Man On Earth's mutation. It genuinely becomes a horror game without the bots with the sounds of Chargers screaming in the distance
If you havent heard if it id highly recommend this mod for hl2 called Half Life 2 Alone, I think it boosts that paranoia feeling by a %1000. If you've played it you know what im talking about
I never felt like I was being watched in Half-life or Portal because I never really thought about G-man or Rattman being there somewhere, aside from easter-eggs. But now with mind that someone (who isn't visible for me) doesn't take their eyes from me...makes me feel uneasy. By the way, your editing, though simple, really made me feel paranoic. Especially in 2:35, when you stop talking for a few seconds. Usually, I expect a jumpscare in moments like this...but the footage just switches to dustbowl. Really good job
My half life and potal timeline 1943: aperture science was opened. 1949: wallace breen was born. 1951: black mess was opened. 1957: eli vance was born. 1960: issac kliener was born. 1964: Arne Magnusson was born. 1988: cave johnson died. 1997: alyx vance was born. 2001: caroline and dozens of scientists died in the aperture facility by glados. The events of half life 1 and seven hour war happened. 2005: the events of portal happened. 2016: the events of half life alyx happened. 2018: the events of portal 2 happened. 2021: the events of half life 2 happened.
Valve achieved what no engine did in terms of realism, simulating the feeling of being alone but at the same time the paranoia of being watched by a superior force.
The source of the paranoia for me has always been the "liminal space" nature of your environment. During an extended section in Portal 2 there isn't so much of a feeling of being watched, along with the quiet sections of Half Life. For me, the Paranoia comes from the feeling that I'm in a place where I am not supposed to be.
Portal 2 always kept me on edge as a child. I felt like I was going to be jumpscared any minute there wasn't another character talking. Even as I watched walkthroughs when I would get stuck I still felt like I was playing a horror game. As an adult it's hard to see what I saw as a child, but I can still see it if I look hard enough. Portal 2 is easily in my top 5 favorite games of all time and I've got hundreds of hours in it now. It's a fantastic game.
![[swacks]](http://yt3.ggpht.com/zDeamf16js4YA-Z09faQXRhLBXwmlKU9NV2qMZuyDekQtozwJxRvwnfrjVvFl2VypLDYiyZG=s48-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj)
Here's the video referenced at 6:35
th-cam.com/video/a3PvpCYg8-k/w-d-xo.html
Portal's Rattmann dens left such a profund impact me as a child I wrote about it for a school assignment. No other game has given the feeling of dread Portal did all those years ago.
What did he wrote specifically?
Chicken butt@@batmeme9349
What's almost scarier than the feeling of being watched is midway through Portal 2 when you fall into old Aperture and are suddenly very, very alone. You've spent the whole game with at least one character with or watching you and then suddenly theres... no one.
I mostly agree but personally never felt that way about Grigori - he always just seemed like a solid dude who had my back
That's fair. He is really solid, especially in later half of Ravenholm.
In a way, Gregori is like your overwatch (not the combine overwatch), but your guardian. He’s constantly guarding you against enemies throughout level. So, he kind of is watching you, but with good intention.
@@anthonyalegria1841like a guardian angel maybe?
@@plasmabat718 Exactly, like a guardian angel. :O)
@@swacks_ Personally, i really enjoyed reacting to him in a russian accent, second best NPC in hl2, right after Dog
When I first played Portal 2 and found a ratman den, I would get so freaked out and wouldn't want to replay those specific levels, thinking that he was actually there in the game, watching me just out of sight. Incredible ambiance that game has, I swear to god. Obviously with time that fear died off but I doubt anything is going to compare to that.
"Grigori feels untrustworthy or can do the unexpected,"
*Proceeds to show a clip of Grigori throwing you the coolest gun in the game*
And in L4D we are being watched by "The Director".
im cryin 😭😭
I never could play L4D, could anyone explain this to me?
In game ai that dynamically reacts to how well your playing @@madsting6486
@@madsting6486 the director is an ai that spawns infected and items depending on how you're playing and your current situation. I think it can change the map too
@@ieatoldpizza He is a scary asshole that I hate and love
in these valves games youre being watched by
-half life 1 & 2 : the gman
-half life alyx : russell
-portal 1 & 2 : glados, ratman and wheatley
-team fortress 2 : the administrator
-left 4 dead 1 & 2 : the special infected
and in gmod, you're being watched by... something.
Probably both Russel and gman
-team fortress 2 : the snipers
@@observer4916 i was watching sorry guys
in l4d1 and 2 it's more like the director
Just a correction GMOD is not a Valve game. Is from Facepunch.
Immediately scrolled to the comments at this part to see if someone said this yet
You're absolutely correct. I meant to cite it as a source engine game instead of a valve game (oops). Thank you for the correction though!!
@@swacks_ Great video btw, even though with this small mistake
@@swacks_cite*
This is an injustice that we can never forgive
I remember finding that weird Ratman rambling audio when I was messing around with audio files in Hammer, and I always thought that those sounds went totally unused in the final game. They were just so quiet in the Ratman dens that I never noticed it!
it should be noted that this is certainly the case for any game that even FEELS like Source.
Voices of the Void is a game built on Unreal, but made to feel exactly like Source, and it's paranoia af.
I intend on actually covering Voices of the Void at some point in time in the future! i played it for about 10 minutes once and it nailed the atmosphere PERFECTLY.
ALGORITM GOD, BLESS THIS MAN!
13:14 whats funny is you're 100% correct on that. if you get close to several walls with his drawings, you can actually hear his ramblings more clearly. its another case of Portal 2's amazing adaptive soundtrack
This randomly appeared in my recommended and I must say I was not dissapointed! Thanks for a good watch.
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Just finished this and was amazed to see the view and subscriber count.
Super high quality, felt very professional and thought out, good job.
That pretty much sums up why people feel so special about the Source engine.
It's not really the _engine_, it's the shared assets that are used in the games - I think especially sounds that evoke the memories of being watched. Kelly Bailey has done incredible work on building these soundscapes and music that IMO is the foundation of the "source engine nostalgia".
Great video for a surprisingly small Channel.
i’m gonna come back in a year and you better have scores of subscribers, because this production value is worth nothing less than that
great video!
great vid, I just borrowed an oculus from my friend so Ill be playing alyx for the first time
Hope your play through goes well! It's a phenomenal game.
clueless
Keep doing this, this is truly amazing to watch
Thank you so much!
small correction on what you said about Ravenholm. It wasn't bombarded when the combine arrived, it was used as a resistance base for some time, basically everyone who worked at Black Mesa East lived there. However, the combine discovered them and shelled the place with Headcrab canisters.
I love the spooky atmosphere in these games. Especially in Half-Life 2 and Portal 1. The moments of silence when you stop and take a moment to look around, knowing what's out there in the world (or in Portal's case not knowing) really remind you what a dangerous and desolate world it is in the Half-Life universe.
a great video ! I honestly really like the way you talk. Furthemore I'd like to say that the paranoia in my opinion comes from the ambiances souds, nowadays games are quiet and without music muted, but in the case of valve's game there's also some ambiance sound playing that matches with the area you're in, not to mention these ambiance sounds are ALWAYS eerie yet don't feel out of place.
I found you today and I loved too watched this Video because I'm in love with Valve Game.
Always, this atmosphere when you are in the world is incredible.
For me just a perfect example for a perfect Story Game.
Ty for that kind of Video, keep going Man.
This was an awesome video. I played all of these games and they all have this really unique feeling and style I’ve always loved and appreciated so much. Seeing this really nice breakdown of the atmosphere made me remember how I felt when I first played them. Thank you for that and please keep up your good work. You deserve more recognition
Outstanding video. This channel deserves way more subscribers.
2:38 and the sniper... and the spy...
Glad algorithm found me. Great video keep making more you have talent.
Whenever I play highway 17, I never feel safe in or near any of the houses even after i've cleared them. Usually because there's a guy I missed, but the decayed design of the houses and the fog doesn't help either.
algorithm blessed me with this video, you EARNED a subscriber, will be sticking around to see what else you create. excited to see you grow!
It is the ambient sounds which consisting mix of vibrations that can make ppl feel "erry" and un-easy. The chosen colour tones is wise and have a brush of loniless in every scene. Psycho warfare techniques have been applied into an AAA game which is pretty rare IMHO. Nice video btw. 😉
This video deserves more views than it does atm!
A trully amazing video! cant wait to see more!
my theory is that its not because of gman who IS watching you, or anyone in lore is watching you like the administrator. Its because the player is always use to those maps being filled to the brim with people or NPC, in tf2 maps, there is always people running around and shooting and playing the game, drowning out the eerie ambients, but when your alone that ambience is the only thing you hear, hl1 and 2 is always filled with npcs, rebels, lamda stashes to find and combines to kill but without them, there is only ambients with nothing to distract you from it, portal is always filled with turrets and the frequent glados monolouges, but when they arent there there is nothing.
You're gonna blow up fast bud.
Great video, glad TH-cam suggested this to me. Keep up the great work!
This analysis is exceptionally made! Fantastic editing, voice over, and break down of each game. While I don't think this is the first video I've seen on the topic of paranoia & phycological effects in Valve games, it stands out!
You cultivated atmosphere with how you pieced it all together. Going to watch this again in the evening for extra spooky vibes. Hahaha
watching this amazing video I went to check and you only have 290 subscribers??? my guy you're producing video essays on another level! subscribed and excited to see more
This video is so skillfully put together! cant wait for more videos for the future!!
The Half Life 2, Episode 1 and 2 did give me that feeling of being watched if I pause and look around the map. And sometimes, any map I load in Gmod gives off the same feeling.
I don't give a damn the father gave thy a shotgun he's a friend
I once came across an image of someone taking a picture of their tv. The person was playing portal 1 and gazing up at one of the observatories in the lab, but there was a shadow figure of a doctor staring back.
The mixture of the quality and the ambiance with the image made me see portal in a very diffident light.
Amazing video, bro it's always the channels with the littlest subscribers who makes the best videos
I remember playing portal 1 and finding the Easter eggs and going “Lore!?!?!?”
This was a great video! Good job man!
I was perplexed to see the channel's subcriber count, this is some really high quality stuff. Love your work!
this channel is a hidden gem
Yes, another Source Engine game INFRA does a wonderful job of that being watched horror feeling.
Fantastic video! This articulates why I like the atmosphere and world of Valve's work more than I could originally describe myself. I'll certainly take these notes and rules into whatever envoronments I design next. Thank you for putting the time in to accentuate the editing, it adds a lot to the point you're trying to make too. :)
Instant sub. An absolutely outstanding work for 75 subscribers.
How does this not have more views
Especially for your third video, you smashed this! Congrats and looking forward to what’s next!
Really appriciate it!
12:08 what an absolute banger of a song
Secrets. Trumpets. Fear. Unkown
Usually i don’t stick around for the end, but i want you to know i loved this video, and i think we should be thanking you for posting such great content. This video was amazing
This is incredible I thought you'd have way more subscribers - definitely subbing and sharing this
Oh woah the sexyman posted a magnificent video! Splendid!
Just found this channel and love this format and sort of deeper introspection. Looking forward to more.
Ah so the sexyman finally posts a wonderful video! Bravo!
read this in the gman voice
Amazing video, and essay, really like the style, the tone and the theme, seen before but at the same time, your own taste. Kudos for it, you made me wanna try again in the future some of my ideas. Can't wait for the next one.
"You feel watched because you are being watched."
Brilliant deduction.
yo you're super underrated i hope you get the attention you deserve, this was a great watch as someone who grew up on these games and i agree with pretty much everything, keep it up :)
You tapped into the music with ghost of rattmann, but i feel a bit part of the "paranoid" feeling is for sure the music. Paired with the slow, dark and lonely moments, the music really gets you to think; and thinking, a lot of the time, is plain uncomfortable.
One scene in half life 2 that does this really well is the bridge scene. The bridge is just so lonely and isolated, and there's a sort of despair; yet you know that the combine is monitoring you, after all, they send many soldiers and even a gunship after you onto the bridge. It's just so well done.
never thought of this feeling... but your right, so right lol
Hey man, good analysis and good luck on future content!
Great take on the Valve games. I really enjoyed the video, and I wish I could like it more than once!
I never played any of these, myself. Overall, despite my ignorance of the games, the production values of this video are remarkably good. I find this strangely compelling.
Left 4 dead was never a scary game to me until I played Last Man On Earth's mutation. It genuinely becomes a horror game without the bots with the sounds of Chargers screaming in the distance
This was so great to watch! Seriously thank you for this great documentary of paranoia it really shifts ones perspective. See ya around!
Great video! Thank you for taking your time to make such an insightful video :)
Wonderful Video, I love to see more like that!
Loved the Video and also subscribed. Great Video and a very interesting theme. I cant wait for what you work on in the future.
young sheldon you were cooking in this video. nice man!
So well put together! Nicely done
If you havent heard if it id highly recommend this mod for hl2 called Half Life 2 Alone, I think it boosts that paranoia feeling by a %1000. If you've played it you know what im talking about
Great video man, really nice work
Really appreciate that, thank you!!
There is a guy who completely stole this video. "VALVE OYUNLARININ PARANOYA ETKİSİ" channel name is : "Yusuf Sağlam". Just letting you know.
How do you not have several thousands of subscribers, the sophisticated approach is amazing. New sub acquired!
I never felt like I was being watched in Half-life or Portal because I never really thought about G-man or Rattman being there somewhere, aside from easter-eggs. But now with mind that someone (who isn't visible for me) doesn't take their eyes from me...makes me feel uneasy.
By the way, your editing, though simple, really made me feel paranoic. Especially in 2:35, when you stop talking for a few seconds. Usually, I expect a jumpscare in moments like this...but the footage just switches to dustbowl.
Really good job
Bro i thought you had 100.000.000 subs or something like that, only 79? let's make it 80
Interesting to watch after playing half-life 2 again!
An astonishingly well-edited video
This is like the 5th video i have watched about source games scary emptiness and i still crave more!
Fun fact, this video is on TH-cam!
6:11 I adore the effect they craft of naturally catching the shotgun in the air
YAYYY SWACKS UPLOAD
Keep up the good work man this was amazing
dismissed this as another “singleplayer gmod creepy ooh!!!!” video but this is actually fire now that i watched it
Dude not even 2000 subs and an excellently edited valve video. Kudos. Good job. Top accolade. Oh and a subscription to your channel.
My half life and potal timeline
1943: aperture science was opened.
1949: wallace breen was born.
1951: black mess was opened.
1957: eli vance was born.
1960: issac kliener was born.
1964: Arne Magnusson was born.
1988: cave johnson died.
1997: alyx vance was born.
2001: caroline and dozens of scientists died in the aperture facility by glados. The events of half life 1 and seven hour war happened.
2005: the events of portal happened.
2016: the events of half life alyx happened.
2018: the events of portal 2 happened.
2021: the events of half life 2 happened.
Great video! I wish you the best with your channel.
In TF2 you will definitely get paranoia from a French with a filipino knife
Valve achieved what no engine did in terms of realism, simulating the feeling of being alone but at the same time the paranoia of being watched by a superior force.
The source of the paranoia for me has always been the "liminal space" nature of your environment. During an extended section in Portal 2 there isn't so much of a feeling of being watched, along with the quiet sections of Half Life. For me, the Paranoia comes from the feeling that I'm in a place where I am not supposed to be.
I waited so long for that video..!
Portal 2 always kept me on edge as a child. I felt like I was going to be jumpscared any minute there wasn't another character talking. Even as I watched walkthroughs when I would get stuck I still felt like I was playing a horror game. As an adult it's hard to see what I saw as a child, but I can still see it if I look hard enough. Portal 2 is easily in my top 5 favorite games of all time and I've got hundreds of hours in it now. It's a fantastic game.
phenomenal video
Thank you!!
@ no. thank you for making something so amazing.
Nicely done video! imma sub.
L4D has the AI director watching you. Even when you think you're alone and locked inside the safe rooms.
I am literally being watched yet I don't feel any sort of feeling in association with it
can you please do one on half life 2 and or portal mods there are some pretty creepy ones out there
also i subscribed (: