# Gaben Gaben is the internet nickname for Valve co-founder Gabe Newell, born from a 2008 Team Fortress 2 developer commentary clip where he gave his email as gaben@valvesoftware.com. The name kicked off a decade of YouTube remixes and "Lord Gaben" jokes across PC gaming communities. ## Overview Gaben is the nickname for Gabe Newell, co-founder of Valve Corporation, the company behind Steam, Half-Life, and Team Fortress[1]. The name kicked off a body of YouTube remixes and running jokes in PC gaming communities that treat Newell as a godlike figure ruling over Steam sales, Half-Life 3 rumors, and gamer wallets[3]. Fans built the mythos around three recurring bits: his weight, his email address, and Valve's famous refusal to ship a game numbered three[4]. Newell is unusually visible for a games executive, showing up in developer commentary tracks and interviews with the same casual tone his fans imitate[1]. Hailing "Lord Gaben" as savior of PC gaming started as parody but stuck as a term of affection across Steam forums and gaming subreddits[4]. ## How It Spread The earliest viral wave came in 2008 when remix artist Mastgrr cut Newell's "Gaben" sample into Fatboy Slim's 1998 track "Fucking in Heaven," pulling over 3.1 million YouTube views, with YouTuber STBlackST following on October 19, 2011 with a Gaben remix that cleared 1.2 million views[3]. The nickname outlasted its 2008 spike and returned with every Valve news cycle. YouTuber grandayy dropped a "Shooting Stars" remix featuring GabeN on February 12, 2017 that racked up more than 5.7 million views, and on January 6, 2019 theScore eSports published an explainer video on the nickname that has since passed 730,000 views[3]. Community threads about Half-Life 3, Steam sales, and Valve's release cadence still lean on GabeN as shorthand for "the guy who could fix this if he wanted"[4]. ## How to Use A typical Gaben post either edits Newell's face onto religious iconography, splices his "Gaben" audio into a song, or invokes "Lord Gaben" inside Steam-related threads[4]. Common conventions include praising him for good Steam sales, blaming him for delayed sequels, and pretending Half-Life 3 news is finally imminent[3]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Gaben? Gaben is the internet nickname for Valve co-founder Gabe Newell, born from a 2008 Team Fortress 2 developer commentary clip[1]. ### Where did Gaben come from? YouTuber foodeatsppl uploaded a Gravel Pit commentary clip on February 13, 2008 in which Newell gave his email as gaben@valvesoftware.com[2]. ### What does Gaben mean? The name is Newell's email handle "Gabe N." pronounced as one word, later turned into "Lord Gaben" fandom shorthand[3]. ### How do you use Gaben? Fans invoke "Lord Gaben" in Steam sale, Half-Life 3, and Valve release threads, and remix his voice sample into music mashups[3]. ### Is Gaben still popular? The biggest viral moments spanned 2008 through the 2019 theScore explainer, with Steam and Valve fandom threads still using GabeN whenever Newell speaks publicly[4]. ## References 1. [https://wiki.teamfortress.com/wiki/Gravel_Pit_developer_commentary]() 2. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0j1qELrrvI]() 3. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/gaben]() 4. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Gaben]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/gaben Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library