Gabe Newell's Biggest Inspirations: Mainframes, Marines, and Mario

Tom Goldman

Crying on the inside.
Aug 17, 2009
14,499
0
0
Gabe Newell's Biggest Inspirations: Mainframes, Marines, and Mario



Gabe Newell's three favorite games of all time are surprisingly not Half-Life, Portal, and Half-Life 2.

Valve co-founder Gabe Newell is what you might call a "playa." He's at the top of a company that puts out great games like incredibly successful [http://www.amazon.com/Orange-Box-Pc/dp/B000PS2XES/ref=sr_1_4?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1301944354&sr=1-4] digital distribution service Steam. As an idea of what inspired this rise to power, Newell has laid out his three most important games of all time, and none involve Gordon Freeman.

One of Newell's favorites, the Star Trek text game for a Burroughs mainframe, would be pretty tough to play today on its original hardware. For Newell, it was the first game he ever laid hands on. Newell told CVG he and his brother used to type out moves on punch cards and put them into the machine, taking about 10 minutes for each move. "I was hooked," Newell said.

Number two is a bit easier for the current-day gamer to understand. Newell revealed that the original Doom [http://www.amazon.com/ULTIMATE-DOOM-Complete-Episode-Consumed-PC/dp/B0002Z3KRS/ref=sr_1_13?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1301944323&sr=1-13] made him "rethink everything" about videogames, from control systems to design to rendering. "It convinced me that games were the future of entertainment," he added.

The third is a title you can play on your Nintendo DS, or Super Mario 64 [http://www.amazon.com/Nintendo-3DS-Cosmo-Black/dp/B002I096AA/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1301944397&sr=1-1]'s different levels. He praises its tight controls, made possible by the N64's analog stick, and even goes so far as to say it convinced him that "games were art."

Every gamer has a list of titles that have made him/her the type of player that he/she is today. These three just happen to have inspired one that's possibly a billionaire [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/107742-Gabe-Newell-The-Next-Videogame-Billionaire]. It might be worth it to play them, just to see if they work their magic on you too, especially if you can find a mainframe.

Source: CVG [http://www.computerandvideogames.com/296735/features/gabe-newell-my-3-favourite-games/]




Permalink
 

MBurner 93

New member
Mar 26, 2009
233
0
0
Super Mario 64 was one of the first games I ever played, and the first I played to 100% completion {/nostalgia} I would probably add Beyond Good and Evil and Portal/TF2 to my list.
 

Jumwa

New member
Jun 21, 2010
641
0
0
I remember getting Mario64 for Christmas. I got so obsessed with it I wouldn't leave the TV all day to stop playing and go eat. I had to be dragged away in the end. Not a proud moment for a teen.
 

Fingerthing

New member
Mar 19, 2010
52
0
0
MBurner 93 said:
Super Mario 64 was one of the first games I ever played, and the first I played to 100% completion {/nostalgia} I would probably add Beyond Good and Evil and Portal/TF2 to my list.
No way, you played B,G&E? That was the game that got me into the entire gaming industry! It was something in the world that just... captivated me. Another big one was prolly Half-Life and No One Lives Forever: 2
 

DarkSpectre

New member
Jan 25, 2010
127
0
0
Besides Mario64 the game most hooked me on games and convinced my I loved them was Timesplitters 2. Before that game I just sort of played but TS2 will forever be a favourite. I'd also add Goldeneye on the list.
 

Beryl77

New member
Mar 26, 2010
1,599
0
0
I loved Super Mario 64 but I never owned a N64 myself, I used to play it with a friend.
I've never played a Doom game and I'm too young for that other game.

The game that got me into gaming is his Half-Life. It wasn't my first game, like most kids in my age, I played some games but I wasn't really a gamer back then. Thanks to Half-Life I got into all this.
The atmosphere, the gameplay, the story, everything was perfect for me. It's still one of my favorite games and even after 11 years I'm still waiting for the next hl game.
 

RejjeN

New member
Aug 12, 2009
369
0
0
Super Mario World has a similar place in my heart. Of course Mario 64 is also very special but Super Mario World was one of my first games (that I owned myself and played a LOT). And thumbs up to the people who mentioned Beyond Good & Evil, great game! :D
 

dancinginfernal

New member
Sep 5, 2009
1,871
0
0
My first game was Crash Bandicoot 2. That game, KotOR2, and Halo 2 were the games to shape my view of games.

I'd throw Shadow of the Colossus on there, but that was more my first "games are art" game.
 

rembrandtqeinstein

New member
Sep 4, 2009
2,173
0
0
Mario 64 was the game that proved the transition from 2d to 3d could be done in a way that kept the "spirit" for the original games. Then metroid prime came along and sealed the deal.
 

MBurner 93

New member
Mar 26, 2009
233
0
0
Fingerthing said:
MBurner 93 said:
Super Mario 64 was one of the first games I ever played, and the first I played to 100% completion {/nostalgia} I would probably add Beyond Good and Evil and Portal/TF2 to my list.
No way, you played B,G&E? That was the game that got me into the entire gaming industry! It was something in the world that just... captivated me. Another big one was prolly Half-Life and No One Lives Forever: 2
To be entirely honest, I just played it recently. I heard about it, and when I noticed it was on steam, I figured I'd buy it. I played it, and I loved every minute of it. The story was interesting, the characters were cool, and the game play was fun. I can't wait for the sequel.
 

Rad Party God

Party like it's 2010!
Feb 23, 2010
3,560
0
0
Gabe's top are Doom and Super Mario 64!??, those are mine too!. I might add Zelda Ocarina of Time to that list.

Those three will always have a soft spot in my heart and Doom will always have a special place in my hard drive.

And yes, I played BG&E too, although it's a great game, I wouldn't consider it one of the best.
 

Hungry Donner

Henchman
Mar 19, 2009
1,369
0
0
I'm not surprised that he didn't mention his own, and not just out of a sense of modesty. While a developer may enjoy the game they're working on immensely they're just too close to it - it's hard to be surprised when you've been part of the planning process and worked through successive alpha and beta versions.
 

Tomo Stryker

New member
Aug 20, 2010
626
0
0
Despite me not being an original Valve fan, I have grown to widely love and even adore their games. That being said, anything Valve makes will trump Nintendo any day of the week hand over fist.
 

gundamrx101

New member
Nov 19, 2010
169
0
0
For me it was Zelda A Link to the Past, Super Metroid and the snes Starfox. Those three games made me the gamer I am today AND taught me that you don't need dialogue to create amazing characters.
 

Trogdor1138

New member
May 28, 2010
1,116
0
0
Why would Gabes favourite games be HL1/2 and Portal? I'm confused.

Anyways, it's always cool to hear where artists get their inspiration and motivation.