ESA to honor Valve's Gabe Newell at 'Nite to Unite'

Newsbrief: The Entertainment Software Association, the U.S. trade group representing game publishers, is set to honor Gabe Newell, co-founder of Valve, at the upcoming "Nite to Unite - for Kids" gala. The group has named Newell as the 2012 ESA Champion Honoree for giving teachers access to new learning software and helping students develop critical problem-solving skills. Valve previously partnered with the U.S. Department of Education to bring its game Portal to classrooms across the country. Previously, the ESA has honored such industry veterans as Blizzard Entertainment president Mike Morhaime, former Microsoft president Robbie Bach and George Lucas of Star Wars fame. The Nite to Unite gala, now in its fifteenth year, will take place on October 18 in San Francisco, and aims to bring together the most creative and successful companies from all entertainment sectors.