valve Archive

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JJ Abrams On Making Half-Life And Portal Movies

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on February 16, 2013Posted in: Movies, Video Games

JJ Abrams:

“We’re not looking to make a movie in the gaming world, we’re not looking to impose what we do on that, we’re looking forward to taking some of our strengths and collaborating with some of these incredible minds that make some of my favorite games. Just as I think they’re looking forward to taking some of their stories and the universe for some of their games and applying it to movies. I think they need to both be approached very differently.”

As much as I’m a little fatigued from all the JJ Abrams headlines lately (Star Trek, Star Wars), this guy really gets storytelling and entertainment. If anyone can pull off a truly great film based on rich video game worlds, it’s him.

via Half-Life and Portal movies in early idea stages, J.J. Abrams says | Polygon.

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The NY Times Profiles Valve Software

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on September 11, 2012Posted in: Games Industry, Technology, Video Games

Nick Wingfield for The New York Times:

This year, Mr. Newell hired Yanis Varoufakis, a Greek economist, after being impressed with Mr. Varoufakis’s personal blog, which he fills with commentary on the European financial crisis. Mr. Varoufakis, who had never heard of Valve and is not a gamer, is studying the workings of the virtual economies of Valve games, in which players can barter and sell items like hats and armor. He said he was drawn to the job partly by Valve’s “completely anti-authoritarian” culture that, to his surprise, seemed to be working.

“What does Valve have to add to our perception of the evolution of corporate structures in the future?” he said in a Skype interview from the Greek island of Aegina. “Let’s face it, the current state of that culture leaves a lot to be desired.”

A fascinating glimpse into one of the most unique companies out there, gaming or otherwise.

Valve, a Video Game Maker With Few Rules – NYTimes.com.

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Valve’s ‘Handbook for New Employees’

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on May 24, 2012Posted in: Video Games

Reading through this guide made me wish every company had Valve’s dedication to both succeeding as a company and providing the best possible professional environment for their employees. Not everyone will be comfortable in a “flat” organization structure, but for those that are, oh boy, sure sounds like a great job, eh?

Read The PDF

via The Verge.

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Piracy Is More About Convenience Than Price

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on October 25, 2011Posted in: Technology, Video Games

Gabe Newell from Valve:

“The easiest way to stop piracy is not by putting antipiracy technology to work. It’s by giving those people a service that’s better than what they’re receiving from the pirates,”

Bingo. It’s a wonder why more digital content creators haven’t figured this out yet.

via Gamasutra – News – Valve: Piracy Is More About Convenience Than Price.

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Valentine’s Day Gift Buying Guide Video From Apeture Science/Valve

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on February 14, 2011Posted in: Video Games

I did not know most of these facts about Valentine’s Day gifts.

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Left 4 Dead Comic “The Sacrifice” Part 1 Released, Michael Avon Oeming On Art Duties

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on September 15, 2010Posted in: Comics, Video Games

Heads up Left 4 Dead/Zombie/Comics fans – Valve just put up part 1 (of 4) of the Left 4 Dead comic, entitled “The Sacrifice.” (Which is unsurprisingly what the next Left 4 Dead 2 DLC campaign will be called)

Normally, I wouldn’t give a crap about some ancillary fan-fiction comic, but I noticed that the co-creator and artist of Powers, Michael Avon Oeming is involved with it. (Powers, if you didn’t know, is one of the best current comics, written by Brian Michael Bendis and drawn by Oeming. It’s a gritty cop story set in a world where super-powered people exist.) Doing a little more digging on Oeming’s site revealed that the game writers over at Valve handled the scripting while he handled the art for this project.

“The Sacrifice” starts right after the end of the original Left 4 Dead and tells the story of what happened to that crew. We even get some flashback sequences from before the outbreak really hit the fan and learn a bit more about Louis’s life before he became a “survivor.” It’s actually a pretty compelling story and a recommended one  if you’ve played the games or like zombies.

Read Part 1 of “The Sacrifice”

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Portal 2 Co-Op Gameplay Walkthrough Video From PAX Is Win

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on September 7, 2010Posted in: Video Games

Now this is what I’m talking about.

Sticklers may point out that this Portal 2 extended co-op gameplay footage from PAX doesn’t show anything mindblowingly different from the very short teaser a couple weeks ago, but they can go stick it somewhere else. Something about seeing the game in live action makes the whole idea that they’re making a sequel to Portal more… tangible.

Watching this video, my mind began to race with all of the devilishly clever puzzle solutions that could be possible with four portals to play with. Plus, hearing GLaDOS deliver its acerbic, yet oddly charming post-test comments just brings a smile to my face. Like I’m coming home again.

Oh, and don’t forget robot hugsies.

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New Portal 2 Single Player Trailer Now With Stephen Merchant

By
Andy Yen
– Posted on August 24, 2010Posted in: Video Games

Nary 24 hours since my request for someone to call when something awesome from Portal 2 was actually shown, someone called.

It’s not quite a 4 portal juggling event, but I love the mood shown in this new single player trailer for Portal 2. Stephen Merchant (The Office, Extras) sounds absolutely brilliant as your new spherical companion, Wheatley.

Plus, I’d be lying if I wasn’t absolutely terrified during the last scene of this video.

<shudder>

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