Half-Life just had its 25th anniversary.

Valve, the company behind it and Steam, the world's biggest and best digital storefront for video games, have in the past been typically the quiet, non-sentimental type. I suppose for having no bells or whistles for their 20th anniversary, they wanted to step it up a notch for their 25th. Quality of life fixes, fixing default settings, endless bug fixes. And right now, it's FREE. Nab a copy for yourself on Steam. There has never been a better time to get into Half-Life.

Let me back up. If you don't know much about Half-Life, or want to know what the big deal is, here's the back of the box elevator pitch:

They're not just chasing you. They're hunting you.

Just another day at the office. Or so you thought... until your experiment blew up in your face. Now with aliens coming through the walls, you're scrambling to stay alive. Where should you go? Who can you trust? And can you figure it all out before they scrape you into a body bag?

Think again. You can run. You can hide. But these guys can smell you. And they'd like to get a taste. Change course, they'll follow. Take cover, they'll team up to flush you out. Shut a door, they'll get it open. They're hunting you down. So ask yourself: Is your will to live stronger than theirs?

If you thought all action games were the same, think again. Half-Life's intricate environmental challenges, rich story-line, and frighteningly intelligent adversaries add up to a new kind of challenge - one that demands you use your weapons and your wits. Monsters don't walk blindly into your gunfire - they're cunning as hell and they want to live as badly as you do. Friendly characters aren't cannon fodder - they're critical to your success. A game so alive, so intelligent, so real, you'll swear it has a pulse.

The critics agree. Half-Life is easily the most gripping, frightening and intense game experience ever. Awarded Game of the Year by over 50 publications, Half-life has been called a "Masterpiece of epic proportions."

Run. Think. Shoot. Live.

How do I play?

"Sounds interesting, but I'm no good at video games. I'm just not into these things. I haven't grown up with them and it sounds too hard." Fear not! If this sounds like you, and you have never played a video game before in your life, not a problem. If you're intrigued by the premise, and you'd like to give it a shot, have I got the essentials for you! All of it, 100% FREE. That's right. Half-Life, again, is currently free on Steam for the next few days, so grab it now while you still can! It's yours forever, and you can always come back to it later. If you have a computer, an external mouse, and a love for dangerous and cerebral storytelling, there's no reason not to try this all out for yourself.

1. First, you need to be able to navigate a first-person environment (think Minecraft or the opening of John Carpenter's Halloween). If you have literally zero or minimal experience with video games, Etra's Training Grounds: First Person Shooter is for you. It's designed to be slow and accommodating, and assumes literally zero gaming experience out of you. Extract the ZIP file, and launch ETG-FPS_DTG_MotionBeta_1.exe (Please note there is no sound for this game)
2. Second, you need to use what you've learned to beat a prototypical first-person shooter. Luckily, the progenitor of the genre, the legendary Doom, has its first episode readily available! It will use everything you've learned and more, making it perfect for easing a player into gameplay. And it's legally free shareware! To play it, first download an open modern source port of Doom, GZDoom. Extract the ZIP file into a new folder, then drop the shareware WAD file into it. Then from the folder, just run gzdoom.exe! Remember, old games don't give hints. Read the manual first. If you don't, you'll be missing important additional information on playing, such as on saving and loading. By and large however, it's identical to what you learned in the training program (use E to use doors and switches). If you can beat the first episode of Doom ("Knee Deep in the Dead" on "I'm Too Young to Die" difficulty), you're ready to play Half-Life. You're free to beat the rest of Doom if you feel so inclined. Not only is it a piece of gaming history that kickstarted the FPS genre, but it's a kickass game in its own right!
3. Third, you're finally ready to play Half-Life! Currently free on Steam at this time. Before jumping into the game proper, I strongly recommend reading the manual to learn about how the game works, though not past "ENEMIES AND OTHER CHARACTERS," unless you want a small story surprise spoiled. When you first start the game, you should play the Hazard Course (training room) to learn Half-Life's specifics: Holding shift walks instead of runs, weapons have a right click function, how to swap between weapons, etc. Upon completing it, you're ready. Under New Game, select Easy difficulty (this is a '90s first-person shooter after all, don't pick a higher difficulty unless you feel confident and experienced in FPSes, and never pick hard unless you're an absolute veteran). Turn the lights down, the sound up, and I hope you enjoy. Happy playing.

And remember: Run. Think. Shoot. Live.