GamesFPSHalf-Life 2Half-Life 2 testers horsing around with physics props ‘to make the 47th playthrough of the game more interesting’ probably had no idea it would result in Gabe Newell launching a garden gnome into space 16 years laterWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
GamesFPSHalf-Life 2Half-Life 2 testers horsing around with physics props ‘to make the 47th playthrough of the game more interesting’ probably had no idea it would result in Gabe Newell launching a garden gnome into space 16 years laterWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Valve/NASA)
“Little Rocket Man” is truly one of the greatest bits in videogame history—a challenging achievement in Half-Life 2: Episode 2 that requires you to carry a cherubic little garden gnome named “Gnome Chompski” through the entirety of the campaign and deposit the wee fellow on a rocket ship to another dimension in the final level. The Chompski achievement returned in several later Valve games, including Half-Life: Alyx. It reached apotheosis withGabe Newell’s 2020 IRL recreation, with a tangible Chompskilaunched into spaceas a fundraiser for a pediatric charity. And it all began with bored Valve QA testers messing around with physics props in Half-Life 2.
(Image credit: Valve)
“A few years later, while working on Episode 2, this was the inspiration for the ‘Little Rocket Man’ achievement, where players had to carry a garden gnome dubbed ‘Gnome Chompski’ throughout the entire episode. Chompski evenmade a comeback for Left 4 Dead 2, in the ‘Guardin Gnome’ achievement, where players had to carry him through the Dark Carnival campaign.”
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