The Ghost in the Machine: GLaDOS, 10.0 out of 10 based on 4 ratings

Note: The following contains spoilers. You have been warned.

Machines are almost always a major enemy in the gaming world. Alien to human beings, these automatons can be as ruthless and sadistic as any madman in existence, but twice as horrific because of this aura of cold, emotionless distance they have. After all, a murderous machine would feel nothing when they kill you, right?

Well, not always. At least, Valve has shown that even a machine can have a personality, even if it is one that can be deemed clinically psychotic. The Portal series, which began life as a small puzzle game spawned out of the Orange Box compilation, has blossomed into its own franchise now, and much of the acclaim has been laid out on two things within the game as why. The first is the excellent puzzle gameplay, but the second is the characterization of the robot entity known as GLaDOS.

Ah yes, the maniacal, condescending GLaDOS stole the show in Portal because of the well crafted witticisms that Valve was able to implement into the title. Portal and its well-received sequel, Portal 2, are great examples of well made black comedies in the gaming world, funny yet often unsettling dialogue that gives even the lowliest of non-human characters emotional gravitas. And in the center of this universe is GLaDOS herself, an amoral artificial intelligence that is able to convey a sense of superiority without directly stating it.

GLaDOS, according to the lore of Aperture Science, possibly stands for “Generic Lifeform and Disk Operating System.” First conceived in the 1980’s by Aperture CEO Cave Johnson, GLaDOS was an attempt by Aperture Science to create a technological marvel that would rival their main competitors, Black Mesa. Unfortunately, GLaDOS always had very maniacal tendencies, attempting to kill the scientists every time she was turned on. This lead to the scientists attempting to add personality cores into her system to alter her murderous tendencies, with little effect. Eventually, GLaDOS was able to trick the scientists to give her some neurotoxin so she can study “true consciousness in the name of science.” Instead, she gassed the entire Aperture facility, killing all but one of the employees.

GLaDOS would go on performing her “tests” on live subjects, essentially doing what she can to verbally and even physically demoralize and mangle her charges. Much like SHODAN before her, GLaDOS is very vocal and condescending towards the player, but in a more passive-aggressive way. Her remarks are laced with a rather dry, elitist slant that attempts to psychologically undermine the confidence any test subject may have. This style is both manipulative and vicious, playing a game of cat and mouse with the subjects without them even knowing something is up.

Eventually, the test subject known as Chell was released into the Aperture facility, and was successful in defeating GLaDOS despite many attempts on her life. Chell sadly doesn’t escape the facility, nearly killed by the neurotoxin GLaDOS possessed, while GLaDOS lost her primary memory cores thanks to Chell’s ingenious use of the portal gun against her. Unfortunately, GLaDOS also survived, as the final scene in Portal shows the remainder of her backup personality cores reawakening, as she vibrantly sings that she is “Still Alive.”

Portal 2, however, is where GLaDOS shines. She does, for most of game, still attempt to murder Chell, especially now that she was defeated and nearly destroyed by the tenacious woman. But thanks to the bumbling misadventures of Wheatley the personality core, she is removed from power in the mainframe of the Aperture Science building and placed into a potato battery, not before seeing Wheatley go mad with power and turn on Chell in the blink of an eye. For a majority of the game Chell and GLaDOS form an uneasy truce to stop Wheatley from destroying the entire complex.

But it seems that becoming a potato humbles GLaDOS a bit, at least, in terms of her own growth. Despite being a very distant, passive-aggressive being, GLaDOS did show pathos in herself as the history of Aperture Science began to unravel, as we hear the various recordings of founder Cave Johnson and see the interaction with his assistant Caroline. Through this, we learn that Johnson, the terminally ill CEO of Aperture, wished to have the personality of his assistant put into the mainframe of the complex, effectively implying that GLaDOS is Caroline, or at least was at some point.

It causes GLaDOS to pause for thought regarding her own origins. While it is never stated for sure in-game, many signs implicate that GLaDOS was Caroline at one point, before being transformed into the machine she is today. If true, this would make her somewhat sadistic tendencies more personal and downright sinister, as a form of revenge for her own Frankenstein-esque transformation. At the same time, it makes GLaDOS more sympathetic and less alien to the player, she is no longer just a crazed machine, but rather is an exercise in forced, brute force science gone awry.

If this is the case, this does make GLaDOS a literal ghost inside of a machine, a human mind entrapped in a mechanical chasis. A popular trope in science fiction stories is always the nature of what makes an A.I full of life. Many forms of media have explored this possibility, from the stories of Asimov’s I, Robot, to the cunning plots of Hal 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey. The video game world has had its own exploration of this theme; as previously mentioned, SHODAN is a notable example because of how similar her design motif is to GLaDOS as a sort of “omnipresent” force. The Mass Effect trilogy also explores the idea of synthetic life in a number of ways, the theme becoming a primary, recurring trope in the plot of the trilogy, even having its own homage to SHODAN in the Overlord DLC for Mass Effect 2.

But in those cases, the pathos is admit tingly lacking compared to GLaDOS. If She was once a human, once the consciousness of Caroline, the question then becomes what actually changed her. It is easy to say revenge as the primary motivation, but if that was the case GLaDOS fulfilled her revenge by gassing the scientists. The only other possible explanation is the Aperture mainframe itself, which acts as a sort of drug that forces the connected computer to complete scientific tasks to achieve a euphoric “feeling” that is called “the itch” by Wheatley. While it present a Pavlovian compulsion to conduct experiments, this, mixed with the somewhat dark origins of GLaDOS would likely warp her personality into one that is both megalomaniacal and cynical, creating the personality we see in the Portal series, as well as explaining Wheatley’s sudden betrayal.

But through this reminder of her probable origins, GLaDOS begins to develop a begrudging respect for Chell, something that would be emphasized in the games climax against the now dangerous Wheatley. In a desperate (and comical) move, Chell is able to send a portal to the moon that forces Wheatley to float in the vast reaches of space. Chell herself almost went with him, but at the last minute was saved by GLaDOS, who proceeds to thank her for reminding her of Caroline again…before claiming to delete her memory and revert back to her more psychotic thought process. Instead of killing Chell, she decides, very begrudgingly, to let her escape the facility once and for all, showing her the way out, all the while singing her farewell with a disturbing army of automated turrets as her chorus.

There has been rampant speculation as to whether or not Caroline’s memory has been deleted by GLaDOS, with many believing that she didn’t in the end, choosing to keep her memory around. This is mostly implied on the game’s end song, titled “Want you Gone.” The song does state how she wishes to just remove Chell out of the picture, but also hints at mixed emotions about the whole ordeal. Growing respect for Chell because of her actions and the memories spurred by her, and the fact that one of her lines “Now little Caroline is in her too.” has sparked the idea that Caroline’s personality is not destroyed. If this is the case, and if Portal does come back with a new title, it may see GLaDOS undergo another transformation, or at the very least show more complex emotions away from her snarky, passive-aggressive attitude.

Whatever the case may be, GLaDOS proves to be more than just a killer machine. Her hilarious, comedic timing gave her a presence that was both funny and sinister, and her growing personality has shown there is great depth underneath her programming. What makes her compelling is how much depth that can be explored, especially considering the implications of GLaDOS’ past. This alone makes her a worthy character with character.

If nothing else, this makes her great too.

Thanks for checking out this weeks Characters with Character. We are now back on our bi-weekly schedule for a few months before the end of the third series, so if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions about the show, please leave your comments below or send me an email to Robert@BlisteredThumbs.net, or my twitter @LinksOcarina. See you next time.

Portal 2 Review

By Johnny Maloney

With Yousif's sudden disappearance, Johnny M. dons his detective hat (which coincides as his reviewer and phrenologist hat) to see where he went. Evidence suggests a Portal or two.

Portal 2 in 5 seconds

By Benzaie

Some will remember the song, others, the co-op bots... but I know what I'll remember the most about this game !

Portal 2 is AWESOME!

By Fraser

We're STILL ALIVE and ready to traverse the pitfalls of portacular button-based testing in the witty-quip-centric robotic apocalyptic future! Now you're thinking with sequels! Also... TRUTH CAKE FOR EVERYONE!

Portal 2 is AWESOME! Conclusion!

By Fraser

More ejaculation jokes than one might expect!