Gabe Newell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gabe Newell
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Newell in 2018
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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) |
| Children | 2 |
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Gabe Logan Newell (born November 3, 1962), also known as GabeN, is an American video game developer and businessman. He is famous for being the president and co-founder of the video game company Valve Corporation.
Gabe grew up in Davis, California. He went to Harvard University but left early to work at Microsoft. There, he helped create the first versions of the Windows operating system. In 1996, he and Mike Harrington started Valve. They wanted to make their own video games.
Their first game was Half-Life (1998). It was a huge success. Mike Harrington later left Valve. Gabe then led the creation of Steam. This is a popular online store for computer games. Steam launched in 2003. By 2011, it was the main place to download PC games.
Gabe Newell is one of the richest people in the video games industry. He also owns Inkfish, a marine research group. He also owns Starfish Neuroscience, a company that works on brain technology.
Contents
Early Life and School
Gabe Newell was born on November 3, 1962, in Colorado. He went to Davis Senior High School in Davis, California. He started computer programming in high school. At that time, programming was not a common job. He thought he might become a doctor.
He also worked as a paperboy and a telegram messenger. In 1980, Gabe went to Harvard University to study programming.
His Career Journey
Working at Microsoft
While at Harvard, Gabe visited his brother at Microsoft. Microsoft was not a big company yet. A Microsoft executive, Steve Ballmer, suggested Gabe work there. Gabe decided to leave Harvard and join Microsoft. He later said it was the best place to learn programming.
Gabe 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. In 1995, a game called Doom was very popular. It was installed on more computers than Microsoft's new Windows 95.
Gabe realized that games could be huge. He saw that a small company like id Software made a game that reached millions. This showed him how much the world was changing. He helped make a version of Doom for Windows 95. This helped Windows become a good platform for games.
Starting Valve Corporation
Inspired by a friend who left Microsoft to make games, Gabe and Mike Harrington started Valve. They founded the company on August 24, 1996. Gabe wanted to work with smart people. He wanted to create products that would affect millions. He felt this would be the most fun he could have.
Gabe and Mike paid for their first game, Half-Life (1998). It was a first-person shooter game. It became very popular and sold many copies. In 2000, Mike Harrington sold his share of Valve to Gabe.
Gabe gave Valve a lot of time and money to make Half-Life 2 (2004). He even said he would pay for it himself if needed. During this time, Gabe also spent months creating Steam. Steam is an online store where people can buy and download games.
By 2011, Steam was very successful. It handled most of the sales for downloaded PC games. It also brought in most of Valve's money. Gabe believes that making a great product is the best way to stop software piracy. He pointed to Steam's success in Russia, where piracy was common.
In 2007, Gabe said he did not like making games for Sony's PlayStation 3. He felt it wasted time. But in 2010, he changed his mind. He announced that Portal 2 would come to PlayStation 3. He said it would be the best version for any console.
Gabe also criticized Xbox Live and Windows 8. He called Windows 8 a threat to PC gaming. In 2013, he said that Linux and open source were the future of gaming. He felt that closed systems like Microsoft's and Apple's slowed down new ideas.
In 2009, IGN named Gabe one of the top 100 game creators. They said Valve had a huge impact on games. In 2013, Gabe was added to the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame. He also received the BAFTA Fellowship award. These awards recognized his important work in the video game world. As of 2024, Gabe is spending more time on his personal projects.
Other Projects
In 2022, Gabe co-founded Starfish Neuroscience with Philip Sabes. This company works on brain-computer interfaces. Starfish announced in May 2025 that their first computer chip would be released in late 2025.
Gabe also owns Inkfish, a marine research group. Inkfish has several ships and submarines. In November 2022, Inkfish bought a special deep-sea exploration platform.
Helping Others
In 2020, Gabe and a Valve employee started a car racing team called the Heart of Racing. They did this to raise money for children's charities. These charities are in Seattle and New Zealand.
In the same year, Gabe worked with other companies to send a gnome figure into space. This gnome was from the game Half-Life 2: Episode Two. Gabe donated $1 for every person who watched the launch video within 24 hours. The money went to a children's hospital in New Zealand.
His Wealth
In October 2017, Forbes magazine listed Gabe among the wealthiest people in the United States. His estimated worth was about $5.5 billion. In December 2021, Forbes estimated his worth at $3.9 billion. He owned at least one-quarter of Valve. As of 2021, he was the richest person in the video game industry. In 2024, Forbes estimated his worth at $9.5 billion. He owned 50.1% of Valve.
Personal Life
Gabe used to have a disease that affected his eyes. 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. They thought childbirth was the scariest thing they could imagine. Gabe and Lisa divorced by 2019.
In 2011, Gabe said his favorite video games included Super Mario 64 and Doom. He also liked an old computer version of the 1971 Star Trek game. This was the first game he ever played. Doom made him believe games were the future of entertainment. Super Mario 64 showed him that games could be art.
Gabe is a fan of the animated series My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. He also recorded a funny voice pack for the Valve game Dota 2. It included many of his famous sayings.
In the gaming world, Gabe is often called Gaben. This nickname came from his work email address. Gabe said he tries to live up to his public image. He mentioned that fans sometimes hug him, even though he is not a "hugging person." He learned to accept it, especially from his kids who told him to "roll with it."
Gabe was visiting New Zealand with friends when the COVID-19 pandemic started. He decided to stay in Auckland when travel rules eased. To thank New Zealand for its kindness, he helped organize a free event called We Love Aotearoa. It featured live music and virtual reality games from Valve. The event was moved from August to December due to a lockdown. Gabe applied for permanent residency in New Zealand in October 2020. However, he returned to Seattle by 2021. Gabe owns several ships and has lived mostly at sea since the pandemic.
See also
In Spanish: Gabe Newell para niños
