Gabe Newell's Mongolian Throat Singing Drove Valve Staff Crazy

Counter-Strike co-creator Minh Le reveals that Gabe Newell's obsession with Mongolian throat singing led Valve employees to close their office doors to escape the noise.

Ever wondered what it's like to work at Valve? According to Counter-Strike co-creator Minh Le, it involved hearing CEO Gabe Newell practicing Mongolian throat singing in the halls. Yes, really.

In an interview with game consultant Indie Game Joe, Le shared a hilarious anecdote about Newell's unusual hobby. It all started after Newell watched a documentary on Mongolian throat singers. He became so fascinated that he began practicing the vocal technique himself—right in the middle of Valve's offices.

If you're not familiar, Mongolian throat singing (known as Khöömei) is a style most popularly associated with the Tuvan people, a region in Russia northwest of Mongolia. It uses circular breathing to produce two or more notes at once. It's seriously impressive and has been featured in films like Dune. But apparently, it's not the best soundtrack for a collaborative workplace.

"He was doing it throughout the office. He would just walk around the halls doing this throat-singing thing," Le explained. "You would hear him try to sing with his throat as he's walking down the hall. I remember a lot of the people in the office were kind of annoyed with this, because, you know, it's kind of loud, right?"

Newell practiced daily, and employees began closing their office doors to escape the noise. "It started to become quite a closed office," Le said. "It was an interesting time. Thankfully, he didn't do it for more than — I think it lasted for about five months."

Le isn't the only Valve veteran to mention this phase. In the Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Documentary, senior developer Charlie Brown noted that the office was "normally pretty vibrant and loud," with staff riding scooters in the hallway, while Gabe was "Tuvan throat singing." Fans can even see Newell warming up a sound booth in the Dota 2 Mega-Kills Announcement Pack video on YouTube.

Unsurprisingly, Le's story has sparked a wave of jokes and memes, with fans saying Newell "yearns for the steppe" and dubbing him "Gabe-is Khan." This is just the latest amusing news about Newell, following his $70.8 million super mansion purchase in June, complete with an underground tunnel—you know, in case the Headcrabs try to get him.

What do you think? Would you have been able to handle Gabe's throat singing, or would you have closed your door too?