Half-Life VR but the AI is Self-Aware


Half-Life VR but the AI is Self-Aware is a role-playing themed livestream and an improv series staged within a virtual reality Garry's Mod recreation of the video game Half-Life. The series was live streamed to Twitch, with highlights uploaded to YouTube, and follows Gordon Freeman, accompanied by additional characters controlled by other improv actors, going through the events of the original video game.

Format

Half-Life VR but the AI is Self-Aware loosely follows the events of the original Half-Life, albeit with a much more humorous tone, with main character Gordon Freeman accidentally causing a Resonance Cascade and exploring Black Mesa to try to undo his actions. The series' main divergence from the original is the introduction of original "self-aware AI" characters, who despite the name of the series are played by other improv actors. In order to allow for this, the series is actually played within the game Garry's Mod, as the original Half-Life game doesn't support virtual reality or some of the features required to help with the staging of such a series, like object spawning, or larger maps. The most notable actor-controlled characters are the series' supporting cast: three scientists named Bubby, Dr. Coomer, and Tommy, as well as an antagonistic security guard named Benrey, all four of whom follow Gordon in his journey through Black Mesa, generally to Gordon's detriment.

Characters

Main Characters

Half-Life VR but the AI is Self-Aware was received well by reviewers. Emily Rose of Ars Technica drew comparisons to the works of Shakespeare and improvisational theater in general, saying "...the convergence of performer and digital performance has come full circle. Perhaps the culmination of the trend is ." Kotaku's Zack Zwiezen stated it was "as good as ", two other well-known Half-Life series, calling it "a funny and oddly compelling show." Quint Iverson of The Pacific Index stated that "the frequency at which Half-Life VR but the AI is Self-Aware turns me into a laughing mess is unparalleled."