10 Hugely Influential People In Gaming You Need To Know About

3. Gabe Newell - Managing Director, Valve Corporation

Put your "where the hell is Half Life 3?" bloodlust aside for a moment to take stock of what a major force Gabe Newell has been within the gaming industry. Valve Corporation has to rank up there alongside Rockstar Games as a gaming company with rock star-like status, and Newell has had a hand in most of the decisions which led the firm to the top of its field. Besides the plethora of incredible games that have been churned out sporting the Valve logo, it's perhaps even more important to acknowledge that their Steam digital distribution platform has shaped the industry in hugely impactful ways. Steam is often called out as the saviour of PC gaming, a platform which was dwindling into nothingness in a storm of piracy and impressive console alternatives. Gamers grew tired of the crippling DRM barriers and shackles that hindered legally purchased software too. But unlike many cheeky digital rights management systems, Newell's Steam platform works. And people flocked to it. Expertly constructed, impeccably designed and managed, it's hard to imagine any other platform replacing it. And now that gaming circles are a'flutter with news about Steam Box mini-consoles and so on, Gabe Newell's already stellar value to the industry is sure to be on the up and up.