Gabe “Gaben” Newell (62) is co-founder of the gaming giant Valve, the company behind Steam. He is also considered a cool guy who sometimes responds to messages personally.
What kind of request was that? As Reddit user NewVillage6264 reported in a post from December 30, 2024, he wrote an email to Gabe Newell 13 years ago on the occasion of his 13th birthday to ask him for an autograph.
In fact, he got an answer from the Steam boss back then – and much more than just an autograph.
Commercial for the Joule kitchen appliance with Gabe Newell from Valve
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Why have one autograph when you can have dozens?
What did he get? According to NewVillage6264, he first received an email that Gabe Newell had written to the head of the merchandise department in which he had CCed him. In it he demanded to “take care of the boy.”
Finally, he got a copy of “The Sacrifice,” a collection of graphic novels from the universes of the Valve games Left 4 Dead, Team Fortress and Portal. Not only Gaben had signed it, but also dozens of other employees.
On top of that there was a signed mouse pad.
You can see the post here – do you recognize some of the headings?
For NewVillage6264 it is probably the best birthday present he has ever received. With almost 17,000 upvotes on Reddit, numerous users seem to have a similar opinion.
In the comments, many express their admiration for the special gift, coupled with more or less subtle hints that they might be a little bit jealous. For them, the campaign shows once again what a cool guy is behind the software company.
Some users also praise the recipient who has treasured the gift to this day instead of selling it immediately – this can be worthwhile with rare collector’s items, as this lucky guy shows: Pokémon TCG: Collector gets boosters worth up to to 15,000 euros – But there is a catch