Years back, I played through Half Life. Then I played Half Life 2 and early on, when I got to the point where Barney joked about Gordon Freeman putting his M.I.T. degree to good use by flipping a switch, it got me thinking.
 
What if Gordon Freeman is mentally retarded? Or perhaps just really slow. Brain injury? At no point in any of the games is there anything that is done that would demonstrate some sort of advanced degree or special training. In the first game he pushed a box on a track. The argument for him being specially trained is that it's a dangerous experiment and he would know when to insert the material for the experiment to work, but really.....they pretty much just stuck him in a hazard suit and had him go push a box.
 
There are a number of instances where people either congratulate him on a really well done job when it doesn't really seem like he did anything that involved using his head, and in most cases when anything needs to be done on a computer or anything complex needs to be done, either Alyx or Kleiner or even one of the Vortigaunts does it for him.
 
Where is the office of the genius theoretical physicist at Black Mesa? Why is this genius reduced to an errand boy at the facility? Why is Alyx the one to always open doors for him?
 
Every time I replay any of the Half Life games I have this perspective now where all the scientists are in on it. They all like Gordon, so they make him feel good about himself by praising him for the mundane tasks he completes. In his mind he's a brilliant scientist, beating on computers with his crowbar. When he leaves, other people just shake their heads and sigh, saying 'poor guy. he's so nice and willing to help. shame about the head trauma.'

" Years back, I played through Half Life. Then I played Half Life 2 and early on, when I got to the point where Barney joked about Gordon Freeman putting his M.I.T. degree to good use by flipping a switch, it got me thinking.  What if Gordon Freeman is mentally retarded? Or perhaps just really slow. Brain injury? At no point in any of the games is there anything that is done that would demonstrate some sort of advanced degree or special training. In the first game he pushed a box on a track. The argument for him being specially trained is that it's a dangerous experiment and he would know when to insert the material for the experiment to work, but really.....they pretty much just stuck him in a hazard suit and had him go push a box.  There are a number of instances where people either congratulate him on a really well done job when it doesn't really seem like he did anything that involved using his head, and in most cases when anything needs to be done on a computer or anything complex needs to be done, either Alyx or Kleiner or even one of the Vortigaunts does it for him.  Where is the office of the genius theoretical physicist at Black Mesa? Why is this genius reduced to an errand boy at the facility? Why is Alyx the one to always open doors for him?  Every time I replay any of the Half Life games I have this perspective now where all the scientists are in on it. They all like Gordon, so they make him feel good about himself by praising him for the mundane tasks he completes. In his mind he's a brilliant scientist, beating on computers with his crowbar. When he leaves, other people just shake their heads and sigh, saying 'poor guy. he's so nice and willing to help. shame about the head trauma.' "

You know, I've never thought of it this way. 
 
Truth be told, it makes perfect sense.

"I never knew a retard could survive impossible odds by himself most of the time, or even man an RPG against more than five fucking Strides. "

It's not head trama, imo he's just a mute. Head trama wouldn't do that to you, you have to be born with it. If I was to dianose something, maybe it's high functioning autism. Maybe since he didn't talk, maybe they are trying to reward your behavior of the gamer with compliments to easy task. It's more like helping you navigate through the game and stuff better. Metal retardation wouldn't be good with task like combat skills.  
 
I think you have to be ADD to think like that or to have thoughs like that, talking to the op, your overthinking it.

It also makes sense in that they always send him in to do the dangerous stuff, as in "Let the retard die" kind of attitude.

"

It's not head trama, imo he's just a mute. Head trama wouldn't do that to you, you have to be born with it. If I was to dianose something, maybe it's high functioning autism. Maybe since he didn't talk, maybe they are trying to reward your behavior of the gamer with compliments to easy task. It's more like helping you navigate through the game and stuff better. Metal retardation wouldn't be good with task like combat skills.

"

" You know, I've never thought of it this way.  Truth be told, it makes perfect sense. "

"

It's not head trama, imo he's just a mute. Head trama wouldn't do that to you, you have to be born with it. 

"

Hah, I fucking love this! Gordon is just the numpty in the hazard suit. Makes sense to me. "Let the grunt kill stuff and solve rudimentary puzzles while we do some real science". What if Half-Life 3 comes out and Gordon Freeman was just playing a virtual game created by the scientists to keep him busy? eh eh? In fact, no, that might destroy my gaming past entirely...

You are the Freeman. If you are retarded, he is retarded. If you are a crowbar enthusiast, he is a crowbar enthusiast. By not giving him a personality they try to immerse you into his world by making YOU the main character. That's all there is to it.

You actually go through Gordon's office in Opposing Force ;)

" You actually go through Gordon's office in Opposing Force ;) "

No, you are not corrected, dear sir. 
 
The Freeman Retard Theory must live on. It is simply too damn glorious to let it die so soon.

" No, you are not corrected, dear sir.  The Freeman Retard Theory must live on. It is simply too damn glorious to let it die so soon. "

This thread is a bit harsh on mentally handicapped people =(

dude.... the government doesnt tell mentally retarded people to go in crazy fucking experimental rooms and push crazy fucking boxes that destroy buildings 
thats stupid...

I doubt that someone with mental disabilities would be able to become a scientist and have the world depend on them for getting rid of the evil.

" @Silverbrand: some of the comments here are disgraceful and I wouldn't even expect it from a 12 year old pre pubescent COD player on xbox live. Grow up. "

Holy shit, OP is onto something.

Gordon Freeman isn't mentally retarded, he's a genius. It is just that they made the game so that even a retard can play and feel like a genius.