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“Officially, Gabe Newell sucks now.”
Thus spake Zarathustra Jr.
You ever notice billionaires are always ‘doing research’ on vehicles with beds, chefs, doctors, and a private submarine?
Meanwhile my research vessel is a 2009 Honda CRV with a check engine light.
Newell’s so-called “research yacht,” the Leviathan, is nothing more than a Randroidian pleasure vessel barely disguised as a scientific endeavor.
And Valve’s dominance in the PC gaming market grips the throats of developers and players alike with the flabby fingers of some child’s fantasy of John Galt’s hands.
When you follow its trajectory to its logical conclusion:
A closed system where true ownership is an illusion, and the little guys – artists just wanting a chance to be seen – get buried under algorithms and fees.
Let me start with the yacht, because it’s a symbol that burns me up like the ancient AI beneath Antarctica melting the polar icecaps:
Unchecked, Randroidian “individualism” (see: corporate Libertarianism) has reached its most optimal expression in the form of a thinly disguised techbro pleasure cruise:
The Leviathan is a 111-meter superyacht, delivered just last month by Oceanco, with a price tag around $400 million.
It’s equipped with a diesel-electric power plant, battery storage for emission-free operation, a dive center, laboratory, medical unit, and even a 3D printing workshop.
Newell claims it’s for marine exploration through his Inkfish organization, supporting global research and autonomy at sea. But let’s be real: this is a floating fortress for a billionaire, a manifestation of Ayn Rand’s Objectivism that Gabe has long admired.
Objectivism preaches rational self-interest, individualism, and the virtue of productive achievement as the moral purpose of life.
Gabe’s a fan, and it’s no secret in gaming circles.
Yet here he is, embodying the very elite detachment Rand idealized in Atlas Shrugged, where the “producers” (read: parasites) retreat to their Galt’s Gulch while the world grinds on.
The Leviathan seems more a personal escape pod, rather than some kind of enlightened capitalist’s vision of science in the coming ecological apocalypse – a superposition in theoretical terms.
It is both “research tool” and billionaire indulgence until observed by the rest of us.
It all just feels a bit too “off-character” for Newell, and that is a warning sign in itself.
If the modern Christ of PC Gaming is now unafraid to publicly display his vast wealth as the world ostensibly collapses around us, then maybe we should rethink where our gaming dollars flow, eh?
This ties directly into Valve and Steam. From an ontological perspective, Steam is a constructed reality where digital ownership is a facade.
Valve holds about 75% of the PC gaming market share (as alleged in antitrust filings).
Pure dominance, enforced through DRM (digital rights management) that locks users into their ecosystem.
You don’t truly own your games on Steam. Ever. They are licensed to you, the paying customer. Your “license,” and your own existence as a “good-standing” user of Valve’s Steam service are both subject to Valve’s whims if one wants “their” gaming library to remain accessible.
If servers go down or accounts get banned, poof, your library vanishes.
And for creators?
The 30% cut Valve takes is standard, but it’s wielded like a weapon.
Lawsuits paint a clear picture:
Antitrust cases accuse Valve of anti-competitive practices, like most-favored-nation clauses that prevent developers from offering lower prices elsewhere.
If a dev tries to undercut on another platform, Valve punishes them by burying their game in Steam’s algorithm.
Class actions from developers and consumers highlight how this stifles innovation, keeps prices artificially high, and squeezes indies who just want visibility.
In Jungian terms, Steam is the collective unconscious of PC gaming – shaping habits invisibly, but with a shadow of monopolistic control that devours the individuation of smaller creators.
The “GabeN” mythos?
It’s time to flip it on its head.
In online culture, Gabe Newell is deified as “GabeN,” the benevolent god of gaming who revolutionized distribution with Steam.
But that’s the illusion, the anima projection we cast onto a figure who embodies Rand’s Objectivist hero:
The self-made man pursuing his own “rational” (big fucking scare quotes here) interests above all.
It’s a mask for a system that prioritizes Valve’s empire over fair play.
GabeN isn’t a savior for bored, terminally online virgins anymore.
He has in effect become the architect of a prison where users and devs are locked in, their freedoms curtailed for the sake of market control.
Theoretical science offers a lens here:
Think of it as a closed system approaching entropy without disruption.
Valve’s trajectory leads to total lock-in, where alternatives wither, and the “free market” Gabe preaches becomes a farce, dominated by one entity.
That’s why I’m supporting GOG – Good Old Games – as an alternative.
GOG is DRM-free: you buy a game, you own it outright, no strings attached.
Devs get a similar 70% revenue share, but the focus is on true ownership and curation, giving indies a better shot without the algorithmic flood of Steam.
It’s smaller, but that’s the point:
Quality over quantity, freedom over control.
Psychologically, it’s like moving from Maslow’s basic needs (Steam’s easy access) to self-actualization (GOG’s ethical ownership).
In ontological mathematics, GOG introduces negentropy into Valve’s closed, entropic system, disrupting the monopoly and allowing evolution.
Mentally masturbatory, mid-2000s illusions begone!
Valve’s path leads to a reality where creators drown in fees and users own nothing.
Vote with your wallet. There’s a dope Winter sale going on. Rediscover a bunch of classics that you’ve been acting like you’ve played for twenty years.
Head to GOG.com, support DRM-free gaming, and let’s acknowledge the flaws in our digital world and choose better.
And if you think this post is a result of my own personal outrage at Newell ignoring my emails for twenty years, then…
I wouldn’t dismiss you outright.
Happy Holidays.
-This was written with the aid of:
ChatGPT 6.9.4.2.0b – Deep-Ass-Strip-Search, Extended-Human-Rights-Violation Mode
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CITATIONS:
Oceanco — “OCEANCO DELIVERS LEVIATHAN” (Nov 12, 2025)
https://www.oceancoyacht.com/oceanco-delivers-leviathan/
Boat International — “111m Oceanco superyacht Leviathan … delivery” (Nov 12, 2025)
https://www.boatinternational.com/yachts/news/oceanco-y722-superyacht-leviathan-delivery
PC Gamer — “Gabe Newell… takes delivery of a new $500 million superyacht…” (Nov 14, 2025)
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/gabe-newell-caps-off-steam-machine-week-by-taking-delivery-of-a-new-usd500-million-superyacht-with-a-submarine-garage-on-board-hospital-and-15-gaming-pcs/
YachtBuyer — “Oceanco Delivers 111m Diesel-Electric Superyacht Leviathan for Gabe Newell” (Nov 12, 2025)
https://www.yachtbuyer.com/en-us/news/oceanco-delivers-111m-diesel-electric-superyacht-leviathan-for-gabe-newell
Steam — Steam Subscriber Agreement (“licensed, not sold”)
https://store.steampowered.com/subscriber_agreement/
Wolfire v. Valve — Complaint PDF (Apr 27, 2021) (includes “at least 75% market share” allegation)
https://www.classaction.org/media/wolfire-games-llc-et-al-v-valve-corporation.pdf
Ars Technica — “Judge dismisses Steam antitrust case…” (Nov 24, 2021)
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2021/11/judge-dismisses-steam-antitrust-case-for-lack-of-factual-support/
Game Developer — “Overgrowth dev Wolfire Games files antitrust lawsuit…” (Apr 27, 2021)
https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/-i-overgrowth-i-dev-wolfire-games-files-antitrust-lawsuit-against-valve-over-steam-fees
GameWorldObserver — “Another Steam class-action lawsuit…” (Apr 29, 2021)
https://gameworldobserver.com/2021/04/29/another-steam-class-action-lawsuit-describes-valve-as-monopoly
GameWorldObserver — “Valve limits number of default Steam keys… emphasizing price parity stance” (Feb 28, 2023)
https://gameworldobserver.com/2023/02/28/valve-steam-keys-guidelines-updated-rules
GameDiscoverCo newsletter — “Valve’s new stance on Steam keys…” (Feb 27, 2023)
https://newsletter.gamediscover.co/p/valves-new-stance-on-steam-keys-what
Xsolla — “Exploring Valve’s Revised Rules For Steam Keys” (May 2, 2023)
https://xsolla.com/blog/exploring-valves-revised-rules-for-steam-keys
GOG — “GOG 2022 update #2: our commitment to DRM-free gaming” (Mar 17, 2022)
https://www.gog.com/en/news/bgog_2022_update_2b_our_commitment_to_drmfree_gaming
GamingOnLinux — “Steam purchases now clearly state you’re just getting a license…” (Oct 13, 2024)
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2024/10/steam-purchases-now-clearly-state-youre-just-getting-a-license-not-ownership/
Oxfam inequality reporting (for billionaire-wealth / concentration context)
Boat International / superyacht market reporting + Knight Frank Wealth Report
Gnosis Under Fire 
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