Steam

Steam is a digital distribution, digital rights management, multiplayer and communication platform developed and introduced by Valve Corporation in 2003. It is primarily used to distribute games and related content online, from small independent (indie) developers to larger software companies; Valve has also announced plans to expand the service to include non-gaming software in the near future.

I had my reservations about using Steam. I favored the traditional method of purchasing a physical copy of a game from a store and bringing it home with me. After searching everywhere for a physical copy of Portal (at that point I was not interested in the Orange Box) for my computer, I decided to give Steam a shot. I am not disappointed. Steam is absolutely fabulous! There are so many games to choose from; new and old, indie and mainstream, single player and multiplayer games; all within a variety of genres.

The Steam software can be downloaded and installed onto Mac or Windows systems, to some degree it can also be used on the PlayStation 3 and smartphones. Once a user creates an account they can purchase games off of Steam’s virtual software library, download and install to their personal computer or computers.


My game library
I was able to witness my first Steam Summer sale and admittedly went a little crazy buying games I’ve been wanting to play. I bought 17 games. Every game I bought was under $5.00 except Batman: Arkham City, which was $10.00 (down from $59.99). Good deal? Heck yes! The summer sale happens during the…well, summer, but there are other relatively good deals that happen throughout the year, including a holiday sale. Get ready!

Steam allows the user to install game software onto multiple computing devices without limitations. The user is required to have started Steam while connected to the internet for authentication prior to playing the game, or have previously set up Steam in an “offline” mode while connected online, storing their credentials locally to play without an internet connection. The benefit of this is that you can log into your account from any computer that has the Steam software installed on it, install and play your games. With the introduction of Steam Cloud, users were provided with a service that can automatically store game saves and custom files on Valve’s servers; users can then access this data from any other machine running the Steam client.

Users can also enable Steam to automatically patch games as updates become available or alternatively can manually initiate the patching process. The client allows users to back up game data files to other media and then remove game content to free up space on their computers.

The Steam client can also be used as a social networking service, allowing users to identify friends and join groups within the Steam Community. Users can text chat and voice chat with other users, identify what their friends and other group members are playing and some games allow for joining or inviting friends in multiplayer games. Each user has their own profile page that shows what groups and friends they have, their game library with achievements earned, and game wish lists among other social features.

You are welcome to add me to your Steam friend’s list. Most of the time when I’m on steam I’m playing a game, in which case I wouldn’t have time to chat, but you could send me a message and check out my profile, library and wishlist.