Steam - The Definitive Gaming Platform4044037
Gaming has redefined itself continuously more than the years, pushing boundaries by no means thought possible - Not just technically, but socially, economically and even spiritually.
Pc gaming has usually been at the forefront of such advancement, although lately our beloved platform of option has been often overlooked in favour of a much more casual gaming audience - That of the typical Console owner. Don't get me wrong, consoles are great in what they can achieve and also have their fair share of enthusiast titles. The underlining problem is that the core gaming market is made primarily of casual gamers or the media's perception of what defines a core gamer. Nintendo's wii is a testament to how well-liked casual gaming has become.
Blizzard have been able to capitalise on the Pc as the premier MMORPG platform for its WOW franchise. Making full use of a PC's ability to establish numerous social networking services to compliment a game has certainly helped make WOW a huge success. Real Time Strategy and to some extent, First Person Shooters are still both premier Computer gaming examples, although the benefit the Computer Gamer has in these locations is slowly evaporating.
Taking MMORPG's out of the image, the state of Computer gaming is at a bit of a crossroads. Console Port after port, Infinite versions of The Sims, Poor retail sales for large Computer Franchises, It all seems rather ominous. Or does it?
Valve on numerous occasions have publicly embraced the Computer as their platform of option. Pushing the boundaries of modern gaming and gaining acceptance in the enthusiast neighborhood has not always been an easy job.* Early implementations of Steam were met with fierce opposition. People by their extremely nature do not like alter, I am just glad Valve had been persistent, pushing previous the numerous bugs, poor press and competition, making the Steam platform as it is today.
First we require to establish what Steam is in the first location. Valve defines Steam as the Nexus of Computer Gaming, and they are most likely correct. Nothing comes close in terms of functionality, appeal and usefulness to Pc gamers.
Merely place, Steam is an advanced digital distribution platform which allows gamers to download games, play online, produce and participate in multiple unique gaming communities all with the capability to auto update itself and any Steam supported game you have.
The seminal update ability and the way it has been implemented by Valve is most likely the most unique and evolutionary aspect of the Steam platform. The Supply engine has been able to continually evolve, powering games such as Group Fortress 2: A perfect instance of how a game can be influenced by the gaming community and continue to grow beyond the original implementation. This is all thanks to the Steam idea and the hardware it runs on.
