Half Life

 I was 15 years old when I first picked up The Orange Box for my Xbox 360. I’d heard a little about Half-Life 2, but I didn’t really know what to expect. What I got was something way more immersive than I was used to—a game that threw me into the shoes of a silent scientist with a crowbar, fighting through a dystopian world filled with strange creatures, physics puzzles, and a story that felt like it had weight. The game was long, and at times I struggled to get through it, but something about the atmosphere stuck with me.

As I kept playing, I began to learn more about the wider Half-Life universe. I started seeing the memes—the ones asking, “Where’s Half-Life 3?”—and realized there was a whole community that had been waiting for years. I heard the theories, the speculation, the countless forum posts dissecting every detail of Episode Two’s ending. I hadn’t played the earlier games on PC yet, but I was fascinated by how obsessed people were with the mystery. It felt like a pop culture ghost story.

Eventually, the silence from Valve grew louder than any rumor. No news, no updates—just nothing. Life moved on. New consoles came and went, new franchises rose up, and Half-Life became one of those legends people still talked about, but no longer expected to return.

Then came 2020. During the pandemic, I found myself with more time and ended up booting up the original Half-Life on my computer. I didn’t finish it, but it reminded me of the roots of the series—the quiet, eerie corridors of Black Mesa and that sense of being completely alone in something much bigger than myself. That same year, Half-Life: Alyx dropped for VR. I didn’t have a headset, so I didn’t play it, but I followed the story and watched some playthroughs. It was beautiful and intense, and for the first time in years, it felt like Valve hadn’t forgotten about Half-Life after all.

And now, in 2025, the rumors have returned—louder, more credible, and harder to ignore. Whispers of Half-Life 3 being in development, and maybe even releasing this year, have reignited something in me. The same feeling I had at 15, when I first stepped into City 17, is coming back. I don’t know if the game will live up to the hype, or if it’ll even be called Half-Life 3—but maybe that’s not the point. Maybe the point is that I get to suit up one more time, grab my crowbar, and head back into the fight.

Whatever comes next, I’m ready for it.