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The existential dread of The Source Engine

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Garry’s mod was my first steam purchase and one that ended up sticking with me for life… mainly because I found it so damn unsettling and eerie, that I felt like I was living in a real life creepypasta!
But why is gmod creepy? Why is gmod so unsettling? Well today I’m taking a look at the Source Engine and how it creates liminal spaces that inspired internet classics such as ‘The Backrooms Found Footage’. I wanted to figure out what it is about Source Engine games like Gmod, Portal, Half-life and The Stanley Parable that makes them so disturbing to play!
Get ready to experience The existential dread of The Source Engine!

Written by: HalfHeart_Hero
Edited by: HalfHeart_Hero & CoolToMe

HalfHeart Twitter: https://twitter.com/Halfheart_hero
CoolToMe Twitter: https://twitter.com/CoolToMe_

#backrooms #liminalspace #Gmod #source

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29 comments

@Ayahuasca98 September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
I never got the “source is scary alone” meme. I guess maybe it’s just me cuz I started modding source games as soon as I started playing in 2012. So being aware of all the tricks of the source engine has to offer
@TheSuperWariotf September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
and the best match is when the workshop started getting backrooms map...its perfect, Horror maps too like the Never Lose Hope Hospital too
@SailsPlays September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
Very good video
+1 sub =D
@Matty002 September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
creepiest game for me was petscop. didnt even have yo play it 💀
@JoeJoseph-zb1zo September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
yeah really bone-chilling
@Razzbow September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
Portal 1 is the scariest game I have ever played.
@Lurkily_Esh September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
". . . so understated, with such ordinary-looking environments . . ." cut to jumping on inexplicably floating rocks to cross a vat of something so radioactively toxic that it literally glows neon green
@Poleskeris September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
source was first made for Half Life 2 and HL2 isn't sunshines & rainbows
@Comkill117 September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
I think the ambient sounds used in a lot of Source games is probably the biggest reason they feel more unsettling when alone than another game like say forge in Halo, at least personally speaking.

A lot of Source games still used ambient sound effects for their maps from Half Life 2 (since it was the game the engine was made for originally), especially Gmod, which pretty simply puts an intention to the creepiness. HL2’s an Orwellian dystopia where aliens took over earth and crack down on humanity to the point the last generation of humans can no longer reproduce and live in slums where they’re relocated and raided constantly. When you use the sounds of City 17 in the background of any generic city map, it suddenly gets way more tense just walking around even if you haven’t played HL2 because of how effector they captured that atmosphere.

It’s not the only aspect of the engine that makes it work great for creating unsettling environments, but it is definitely a large part of it.
@Rusty-the-datsun September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
i first bought farming simulator 2011 and as of now it feels liminal almost source like
@A.-ow4ki September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
I first stumbled upon Gmod in 2009, then first played it in 2010 as my first Steam purchase. I have vague memories from 2011 using the toybox (when that was still around) and using the Gnome mod which scared the shit out of me when I was little. I think that left a haunting feeling for that whole year.
@rich1051414 September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
Since the base maps in garry's mod are primarily based on multiplayer maps, those maps were never meant to be played alone, you can really FEEL it. Every bone in your body tells you that it's wrong to be alone in that space, therefore, you must not be alone. And that creeps you out.
Same goes for most liminal spaces. Those were spaces MEANT to be full of people. It's wrong for it to be empty. So it must not be empty. The people meant to populate the room must be hiding from you...
@NotViridium September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
The second you showed the creepy car commercial I verbally said “oh fuck off”. All of my childhood trauma came back in an instant 😂
@f40ph88 September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
the creepiness goes away when you get into mapping as you know how everything works basically
@ahwiin9997 September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
another game that gives me a similar feeling is gorilla tag on VR
@JogaKata September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
Same for the first half life.
@FondestAlloy56 September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
Nier and Minecraft(SP) do this feeling pretty well also. Alone, empty, world
@ravick007 September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
5:49 Doom3 sound effects. Are they free to use? 😮

Btw, I love a first person game as much as it can makes me feel in the skin of the protagonist (hell, Doom3 is my favorite game despite all the years), so I tottally love how Source games can do it. I even use cheats to turn L4D into a single player experience.
@Frustratedartist2 September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
Your insight about the backrooms is spot on, I always got a Source vibe out of this one. Also, I clearly remember playing the original Gary's Mod (when it was still a mod) wandering around and messing around in de_dust2 (where else), then suddenly being extremely creeped out by the whole thing and never playing it again.
@taiwanluthiers September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
By the way I felt this same dread playing Titanfall II. And guess what, it's a source engine game too! A lot of level in Titanfall II really gave off that portal II vibe.
@Squant September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
To answer the thumbnail: Because claiming everything is creepy is trendy these days. Next question.
@B3RyL September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
To me Source games feel like lucid dreams that go on for a little too long, like to the point you start wondering if you're not in a coma. They feel real in a way a Caravaggio painting feels real. You look at it for a moment or two and it looks great, it makes perfect physical sense, but then you examine it for a little longer and you start to question your own perception of things, not just in the painting, but all around you. You can't put a finger on it, but it just seems eerie.
@handleneeds3charactersormore September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
Dawg... we all have hairs in our buttholes now, stop acting like you're still 15, it ain't 2015 no more bro
sOuRcE eNgInE iS cReEpY
@Araanor September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
This is absolutely the first time i've heard anyone say that Gmod is scary. maybe it's cuase i wasn't a kid when it came out? as a kid i grew up playing resident evil and silent hill.
@Cozbor September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
Fr
@BlazejKarwowski September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
Play Control :D, consult metal health specialist after.
@Smung September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
maybe its because its based on half life 2's assets and soundscape. the game known for its grim atmosphere where humans are being subjected to genocide under the Combine's totalitarian regime
@TrashDev_RBX September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
I was the 2222th Liker :D
@sadfacereview3591 September 30, 2024 - 11:36 am
When I was a kid I could not even finish half life 2 cause of zombies and headcrabs.
But later when I was messing in solo gmod i was always playing some loud random music tracks and never felt this jumpscare imminent feeling.

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