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I was just thinking about how infuriating that moment in that one episode of The Walking Dead is - when Glen casually mentions Portal. I don't remember the context precisely. Anyway - here's why I take issue with it.

The purpose of the line is enormously transparent: Appeal to a demographic. Act like it's an in-joke.

That's it.

The issue with this is that Portal isn't the sort of game that you mention when someone asks "what games do you play?" - it's an itty-bitty game, a few hours with a few simple mechanics - it ends and you don't feel the urge to replay it for quite a while. (Not to insult its brilliance, of course. I love the thing just as much as anybody.)

The idea that he'd mention this particular game, out of all of the others he's undoubtedly played, breaks the wall that would otherwise hide the line's intention.

Something more time-sucky and well-known (The Call of Duty games, World of Warcraft) would have filled the space better.

Perhaps it's just unconsidered writing. Maybe one of the writers was a fan of the game and just wanted to reference it like that for their own amusement. Maybe it's an attempt at characterizing him further, as if his choice of game can give us some vague insight into what type of person he is. Either way, it stands out more than it should.

Does his name have two Ns or one?