The Academy Fellowship is the highest honor that the British Academy of Film and Television Arts is able to bestow, and none other than Gabe Newell from Valve will be receiving this year’s prize. Newell will be presented with the fellowship at the British Academy Games Awards on March 5 th . Previous icons in the gaming industry to have held the fellowship include Will Wright, Peter Molyneux, and Notch, creator of Minecraft.
Harvey Elliott, Chair of BAFTA’s Games Committee, had this to say about Gabe’s upcoming award: “Gabe’s contribution to the industry is unique, and he is very different to many others that BAFTA could recognize. As well as enjoying great critical and commercial success with phenomenally popular franchises such as Portal and Half-Life, his work in giving back to the games industry through developing and showcasing other games makers has been outstanding.”
It’s good to know that Newell is being recognized for his game development skills, but he has done so much more than bring us Portal and Half-Life. He developed Steam, the biggest digital distribution platform currently in existence. He’s started development on a home console that will bring Steam to consumers who might not be savvy on a PC. And Valve is one of the only companies that consistently supports indie.
He deserves this award not only because he is a great programmer, but because he is constantly thinking of the future of the gaming industry.
Source: PC Gamer