Gabe Newell recently addressed a Sports & Entertainment Marketing class at Tippecanoe Valley High School, speaking very clearly about the industry, how it works, and how Valve goes about their business. He detailed the differences between how a company should address their customers when they are dealing with them directly, and how they would normally address them via a brick-and-mortar store. He went into detail about individual customers' values in games that they buy and even went so far as to say that people who attract other people to the game should be rewarded by being a part of the community. Newell also detailed how every person values their time at different monetary rates and will pay accordingly.
The whole video is very interesting, especially if you are not only interested in games, but the industry as a whole. It shows how different subtle influences can affect the values of bought merchandise, and how digital mediums can be altered much more flexibly than purchased goods from a brick-and-mortar store. He also discusses the importances of keeping employees in mind. He says "You can't ruin people's home lives in order to benefit your business", showing that the company as a whole really cares about their people. Overall, a good watch.
