''Freeman's Mind'' is a

machinima Machinima, originally machinema () is the use of real-time computer graphics engines to create a cinematic production. Most often, video games are used to generate the computer animation. The word "machinima" is a portmanteau of the words ''ma ...

series created by Ross Scott using the Source remake of the 1998 video game ''

Half-Life Half-life (symbol ) is the time required for a quantity (of substance) to reduce to half of its initial value. The term is commonly used in nuclear physics to describe how quickly unstable atoms undergo radioactive decay or how long stable ato ...

''. It follows the protagonist of the game,

Gordon Freeman Gordon Freeman is the silent protagonist of the ''Half-Life'' video game series, created by Gabe Newell and designed by Newell and Marc Laidlaw of Valve. His first appearance is in ''Half-Life''. Gordon Freeman is depicted as a bespectacled Ca ...

, also voiced by Scott, who acts as a combination of narrator and running commentary, often criticizing and satirizing the game world's conventions in a style similar to that in ''

Mystery Science Theater 3000 ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. ...

''. The series ran from 2007 to 2014 and consists of 71 episodes, also host to

Machinima Machinima, originally machinema () is the use of real-time computer graphics engines to create a cinematic production. Most often, video games are used to generate the computer animation. The word "machinima" is a portmanteau of the words ''ma ...

unit 2014 (including episode 0 and two bonus episodes). A sequel series, titled ''Freeman's Mind 2'', debuted in 2017, and is ongoing with 18 total episodes as of December 2023. In total 89 episodes exist across both series.

Character differences

Ross Scott describes Gordon's personality as having "shifting

paranoia Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concer ...

egomania Egomania is a psychiatric term used to describe excessive preoccupation with one's ego, identity or selfdictionary.com and applies the same preoccupation to anyone who follows one’s own ungoverned impulses, is possessed by delusions of personal ...

, mild

schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...

, over-aggressiveness, petty motivations, and immaturity in general", and that "the only hint I thought they gave to his personality was how proficient he immediately was in weaponry for being a physicist." Emily Rose, writing for Ars Technica, used "neurotic panicked narcissist" to describe the character; this is a depiction she noticed in a similar series— Half-Life VR but the AI Is Self-Aware.

Filming techniques

Structurally, ''Freeman's Mind'' is filmed from the

first person perspective In video games, first person is any graphical perspective rendered from the viewpoint of the player's character, or a viewpoint from the cockpit or front seat of a vehicle driven by the character. The most popular type of first-person video gam ...

of Gordon Freeman. All of the visuals and most of the animations come from the original game; however, many scenes of the series are manipulated through the use of

cheats Cheating generally describes various actions designed to subvert rules in order to obtain unfair advantages. This includes acts of bribery, cronyism and nepotism in any situation where individuals are given preference using inappropriate crit ...

or modifications to the game's engine. Often in the series, Gordon avoids places where the player is usually forced to go. For example, Gordon performs pull-ups throughout the series to navigate to otherwise inaccessible areas. A typical way to film this is through the use of the

noclip mode This list includes terms used in video games and the video game industry, as well as slang used by players. 0–9 A ...

. Freeman’s Mind 2 also features modifications to the original maps, adding new or changing existing set pieces and adding entirely new areas.

Spinoff series

The success and popularity of ''Freeman's Mind'' led to many other creators adopting a similar format to make ''Mind'' series of their own, in other games that feature a silent protagonist in the first-person view. Some of the more notable examples of ''Mind'' spinoffs include ''Shephard's Mind'', created by YouTuber Krim, featuring the character Adrian Shephard from the game '' Half-Life: Opposing Force''; ''Barney's Mind'', created by YouTuber IRAMightyPirate, with the character Barney Calhoun from the game '' Half-Life: Blue Shift''; ''Felix's Mind'', created by YouTuber corky064 (since deleted), featuring Gordon Freeman's fictional brother Felix, in the game '' Half-Life 2: Episode One''; ''Chell's Mind'', created by YouTuber CyhAnide, starring as Chell from the game ''

Portal Portal often refers to: * Portal (architecture), an opening in a wall of a building, gate or fortification, or the extremities (ends) of a tunnel Portal may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * ''Portal'' (series), two video games ...

''; ''Kane's Mind'', by YouTuber ChunkBoi (formerly CptCool2), featuring the character Matthew Kane from the game ''

Quake 4 ''Quake 4'' is a 2005 military science fiction first-person shooter video game developed by Raven Software and published by Activision. It is the fourth title in the Quake (series), ''Quake'' series, after the multiplayer ''Quake III Arena'', an ...

''; and ''Parker's Mind'', by YouTuber LordPsymon, featuring the character Parker from the game ''

Red Faction ''Red Faction'' is a series of shooter video games developed by Volition and owned by Koch Media. Originating in 2001, the ''Red Faction'' games have spanned Microsoft Windows, macOS and consoles, including the PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, P ...

''. These creators all appeared alongside Scott in an interview dubbed "Meeting of the Minds", hosted by Ian Riley, the creator of ''Barney's Mind'', which was posted on Riley's YouTube channel on May 28, 2011.

References

External links

* * {{Half-Life series Comedy web series 2010s YouTube series Half-Life (series) 2000s YouTube series Machinima works