Barney Calhoun is a fictional character in the Half-Life series of first-person shooter computer games by Valve Software. Although initially considered a "throwaway" character (in fact, an entire class of throwaway characters), Barney has played increasingly prominent roles as the series has progressed. While Barney Calhoun is the name of a specific character in the Half-Life story, the name "Barney" also applies to the Black Mesa security officers in general.