Developer, talented businessman, and creator of Steam. Gabe Newell in quotes

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We are much closer to the reality described in The Matrix than it might seem at first glance. I am interested not so much in the film itself, but in its technological aspects. In a world where brain-machine interfaces achieve significant advances, we will be able to create unique and immersive experiences for users. Working with the current team brings me great satisfaction. Limitless possibilities open up before us, and this makes the future incredibly intriguing.

The human brain demonstrates high efficiency in some functions and weaknesses in others. Interestingly, the immune system plays a role in regulating body temperature, which suggests the presence of several brain areas responsible for the perception of cold. At the same time, the motor cortex and visual cortex perform specific perceptual and reactive functions, making them more suitable for brain-machine interfaces. In the process of our work with colleagues, we are discovering new aspects of brain functioning, identifying which mechanisms are truly useful for humans, and which are just entertainment tricks that have no long-term value.

We position ourselves as a customer-focused company, not a process-focused one. Most of our decisions are made not to optimize processes, but to drive rapid growth and improve the user experience for our services. This allows us to better understand customer needs and tailor our offerings to their needs, which ultimately contributes to successful business growth and strengthens user trust.

Steam is a suite of tools and services designed to help digital content creators connect with their audiences. The platform offers game support, player interaction, news distribution, sales tracking tools, and other useful features. Our success lies in the fact that customers and partners experience growth through our services, which inspires trust in us.

Half-Life was our response to the formulaic first-person action games common in the 1990s. Many players fell in love with video games for their unique features, but soon realized that the industry had reduced the entire gaming experience to monotony without exploring new horizons. In developing Half-Life, we strove to create engaging worlds and memorable characters, rather than limit ourselves to standard game mechanics and shooting galleries. We hoped that this game would be a step forward in the development of the genre and open up new possibilities for interaction with players.

We always approach every project we release with caution. Creating a first-person puzzle game is associated with certain risks. Our company is privately held and employee-owned, giving us considerable freedom to pursue creative and design ideas. We believe that such creative approaches will be less risky in the long run than short-term solutions. The gaming community is experienced enough to understand this tradeoff, support us in this endeavor, and be patient with failures.

There is a common misconception about piracy that requires reconsideration. Piracy is more often associated with service issues than with pricing. For example, if a pirate offers a product available for purchase from any computer anywhere in the world 24 hours a day, while an official distributor states that legal copies of the game will only appear in your region three months after the US release and will only be available in specialized stores, the pirate's offer becomes more attractive. Most measures aimed at protecting games from piracy, such as digital rights management (DRM), often reduce the value of the product and limit its availability to users. It's important to understand that convenience and accessibility are key factors influencing the choice between legal and illegal copies of products.

Our goal is to increase the value of our services to combat piracy, and we have achieved significant success in this area. Piracy is not a problem for our company. Before entering the Russian market, we heard warnings that Russia would become a hotbed of active piracy of our products and that it would be a waste of time. However, today Russia is confidently moving towards becoming our largest market in Europe.

Given the history of new media, I am confident that video games will only be recognized as art. Games will be recognized as a full-fledged art form. Television, film, theater, and comic books have also faced initial condemnation and critical skepticism from the public. One might imagine that Homer was once asked why oral epic poetry wasn't considered as artistically valuable as cave paintings. History shows that new art forms often take time to be recognized for their significance and artistic merit. Video games, with their unique potential for self-expression, interactivity, and storytelling, will undoubtedly take their place in the pantheon of arts. My favorite Half-Life game is Portal 2. I worked on it less than on the original Half-Life. When people ask me about my projects, I often think not of the finished products, but of the missed opportunities. It's like the disappointment on your deathbed over an idea or concept that never came to fruition. I appreciate Portal 2, in part, because my contribution to its creation was minimal. However, once I finished the game, I immediately told the development team: “This is an amazing game, great job, guys!” Portal 2 has become a shining example of how a team's creativity and talent can lead to a unique gaming experience.

In my typical workday, especially if it's planned in advance, I try to focus on the main tasks and avoid distractions I focus on the little things. I solve problems as they arise. I spend most of my time in email, where I handle business matters and oversee the game development process, focusing on press relations and everything related to the Steam platform. I enjoy collaborating with our team of specialists and participating in game creation, which brings me inspiration and motivation. When current tasks do not require my direct involvement, I devote time to research in the field of brain-computer interfaces (BCI). I am confident that this technology has enormous potential and will become especially relevant in the future.

When developing games, we conduct thorough analysis, discuss the results achieved, and strive for improvement and the creation of new projects. For example, in the case of Artifact, we spent a long time studying what went wrong and why the game did not live up to expectations. This experience allows us to identify mistakes and move forward. Analysis and looking into the future are important tools in our work. Satisfaction with the results achieved without further striving for development brings no benefits.

Game development is an exciting process. Many new ideas are born during this creative journey, and watching them come to fruition is a true joy. We achieved significant success with Half-Life 2, after which we focused on episodic storytelling. We then began developing multiplayer projects, which opened up new horizons for player interaction. With Half-Life: Alyx, we had a unique opportunity to create something completely new. Technology continues to evolve, offering exciting opportunities for game design and user experience today.

Creating a project that doesn't lead to innovation can seem like a waste of time. Four years is a significant period of time, and it's important to focus your efforts on implementing ideas that can change the market or improve people's lives. Innovation can create new opportunities and increase competitiveness. Instead of wasting time on ineffective projects, it's worth focusing on developing unique solutions that will bring real value and be in demand. It's important to remember that every step in the development process should be focused on achievements and breakthroughs in its field.

I've avoided discussing Half-Life 3 for a long time, and I hope it will remain off the agenda until interest in it dies down. This will allow us to focus on other topics and prevent the emergence of new theories and speculation among the community. It's important not to bring this topic up until there's new information, in order to maintain interest in other aspects of the franchise.