Gabe Newell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gabe Newell
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Newell in 2018
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| Born |
Gabe Logan Newell
November 3, 1962 Colorado, U.S.
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| Other names | Gaben |
| Education | Harvard University (dropped out) |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Known for | Co-founding Valve |
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| Spouse(s) |
Lisa Mennet Newell
(m. 1996, divorced) |
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Gabe Logan Newell (born November 3, 1962) is a famous American video game developer and businessman. People often call him Gaben. He is the president and co-founder of a big video game company called Valve.
Gabe grew up in Davis, California. He went to Harvard University but left early to work at Microsoft. There, he helped make the first versions of the Windows computer system. In 1996, Gabe and a friend, Mike Harrington, left Microsoft. They started Valve and made their first game, Half-Life. Mike later left Valve, and Gabe took charge. Gabe also led the creation of Steam, a popular online store for computer games. Steam started in 2003 and quickly became the main place to download PC games.
Gabe Newell is one of the richest people in the video games industry. He owns a large part of Valve. He also owns a company that studies the ocean, called Inkfish, and a company that works on brain technology, called Starfish Neuroscience.
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Early Life and Education
Gabe Newell was born on November 3, 1962, in Colorado. He went to Davis Senior High School in Davis, California. As a teenager, he worked as a paperboy and later delivered telegrams for Western Union. In 1980, he started studying at Harvard University. However, in 1983, he was convinced to leave Harvard to work at Microsoft.
Career Journey
Working at Microsoft
Gabe Newell worked at Microsoft for 13 years. He was a programmer and a technical leader. He helped create the first three versions of the Windows operating system. Gabe later said he learned more in his first three months at Microsoft than he ever did at Harvard. This was a big reason he left college.
In the mid-1990s, a game called Doom was very popular. It was installed on more computers worldwide than Microsoft's new Windows 95 system. Gabe realized that video games were becoming huge. He helped bring Doom to Windows 95, which made Windows a great platform for games.
Starting Valve Corporation
Inspired by a friend who left Microsoft to make games, Gabe and another employee, Mike Harrington, decided to start their own video game company. They founded Valve on August 24, 1996. Gabe wanted to create products that would affect millions of people. He felt it was the most fun he could have.
Gabe and Mike used their own money to develop Valve's first game, Half-Life (1998). This game was a huge success. In 2000, Mike Harrington sold his share of Valve to Gabe and left the company. Gabe then led the development of Half-Life 2 (2004). He gave the team a lot of time and money to make it perfect.
During the making of Half-Life 2, Gabe also spent months creating Steam. Steam is an online service where people can buy and download games. By 2011, Steam was very successful. It controlled most of the market for downloaded PC games and brought in most of Valve's money. Gabe believes that the best way to stop software piracy is to offer a better and easier way for people to get games legally.
Gabe has shared his thoughts on different gaming platforms. In 2007, he said developing games for Sony's PlayStation 3 was difficult. However, at a big gaming event in 2010, he changed his mind. He announced that Portal 2 would come to PlayStation 3 and would be the best version for any console. He also criticized Xbox Live and Windows 8, saying they were not good for PC gaming. In 2013, Gabe said that Linux and open source development were "the future of gaming."
In 2009, a gaming website called IGN named Gabe one of the top 100 game creators. They said Valve had a huge impact on game design and technology. In 2013, Gabe was honored with the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame award and the BAFTA Fellowship. These awards recognized his important contributions to the video game world. As of 2024, Gabe is less involved in the daily work at Valve. He spends more time on his personal projects.
Other Projects
In 2020, Gabe Newell and a Valve employee started a car racing team called the Heart of Racing. They did this to raise money for children's charities. In 2022, Gabe also helped start Starfish Neuroscience. This company works on neural interfaces, which are ways for brains to connect with computers. Gabe also owns Inkfish, a marine research organization. Inkfish has several ships and submarines. In 2022, Inkfish bought a special deep-sea exploration platform.
Personal Life
Gabe Newell used to have an eye disease called Fuchs' dystrophy. He had two eye surgeries in 2006 and 2007, which cured him. On the same day he started Valve, Gabe married Lisa Mennet. They have two sons. The birth of their first son inspired the final boss in Half-Life. This is because they thought childbirth was the scariest thing they could imagine at the time. Gabe and Lisa later divorced.
In 2011, Gabe said his favorite video games included Super Mario 64, Doom, and an old computer version of the 1971 Star Trek game. Star Trek was the first game he ever played. Doom showed him that games were the future of entertainment. Super Mario 64 made him believe that games could be art. Gabe also recorded a funny voice pack for the Valve game Dota 2.
Many gamers know Gabe by his nickname, Gaben. This name came from his work email address. Gabe has said that he tries to live up to his public image. He mentioned that fans sometimes hug him when they meet him. He wasn't used to it at first, but his kids told him to "roll with it."
In 2020, Gabe applied to live permanently in New Zealand. However, by 2021, he had returned to Seattle. Gabe owns several ships and has spent a lot of time living at sea since the pandemic.
Images for kids
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Newell in 2018
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Newell accepting the Pioneer Award at the 2010 Game Developers Conference
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Newell in 2002
See also
In Spanish: Gabe Newell para niños
