Valve’s Gabe Newell Takes Video Gaming to the Next Level

If you ever find yourself sitting across from Gabe Newell at a poker table, do yourself a favor. Walk away.

Forbes magazine recently added Newell, co-founder and managing director of the video-game superpower Valve Software, to its list of the world’s billionaires, estimating his net worth at $1.5 billion. That figure will likely only grow thanks to his latest gamble, called Steam, which is rapidly becoming for gaming what ITunes is to music.

Read more at CNBC.com

E3 through the years

Even if you’re just a casual fan of video games, the E3 video game extravaganza is a truly exciting time of the year. It’s Christmas in July! Or, more often, May! Or, recently, June! Ok, so the moving dates ruin the analogy, but it’s a festive time nonetheless that always brings a flood of gaming news. And every year, there’s one story that tops all the others.

Here’s a look back at the show stealing moments of the past 16 years.

Read more at Yahoo! Games

10 Cheap Games You Must Play

You can’t turn a corner these days without running into the debate over whether 99 cents is too cheap for a game or $60 is too high. Ultimately that comes down to the quality of the game, and as it happens, some of the best games of all time — as well as some innovative new titles — can be found for less than $10.

Here are 10 you simply can’t miss.

Ready more at Yahoo! Games

Steam digital distribution system hits a milestone

Retail video game sales might be floundering in 2009, but Steam, the largest digital distributor of PC games, is have a banner year.

Valve Software, maker of the “Half-Life” franchise and the owner of Steam, say active accounts at the service have topped 30 million – with new growth of 178 percent in the past 12 months. At its peak, the number of simultaneous players has reached 3 million.

Read more at Variety’s Technotainment blog