High-quality games like this were noticeable absent from the Windows operating system.ĭOOM laid the foundation for the future of first-person shooters with its fast-paced gameplay and snazzy 3D graphics. He was an avid video game enthusiast and loved the iconic game DOOM - one of the earliest shooters about a space marine slaying demons flooding out of Hell and invading Mars. Windows was the ubiquitous platform for all things related to the personal desktop computer.
At the time, Windows dominated 85.6% of the global desktop computer software market share with 5% going to Apple’s Mac OS and the rest going to an assortment of smaller developers (CNET). Newell would end up dedicating 13 years of his life to Microsoft acting as a producer for three major releases for the Windows platform (Barett). With his newfound job at Microsoft, he would follow in the same footsteps as its founder who too had dropped out of Harvard, becoming the 271st employee of the company (Barett). In his final year, Newell would later drop out of Harvard after being convinced by then CEO Steve Ballmer to join Microsoft. In 1980, he graduated and made his way to Harvard where he would continue his studies for the next three years.
As a diligent worker, he enjoyed the time spent with his teachers more than he did with his classes. Gabe Newell spent his formative years at the Davis Senior High School with a love for physics, calculus, and English.
