Steam - The Definitive Gaming Platform4148846
Gaming has redefined itself constantly over the years, pushing boundaries by no means thought feasible - Not just technically, but socially, economically and even spiritually.
Computer gaming has usually been at the forefront of such advancement, although recently our beloved platform of choice has been frequently overlooked in favour of a more casual gaming audience - That of the common 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 issue is that the core gaming market is made mainly of casual gamers or the media's perception of what defines a core gamer. Nintendo's wii is a testament to how popular casual gaming has become.
Blizzard have been in a position to capitalise on the Computer as the premier MMORPG platform for its WOW franchise. Making full use of a PC's ability to establish multiple social networking services to compliment a game has certainly helped make WOW a massive achievement. Real Time Strategy and to some extent, First Individual Shooters are still each premier Pc gaming examples, though the advantage the Computer Gamer has in these areas is slowly evaporating.
Taking MMORPG's out of the image, the state of Pc gaming is at a bit of a crossroads. Console Port after port, Infinite versions of The Sims, Poor retail sales for large Pc Franchises, It all appears rather ominous. Or does it?
Valve on numerous occasions have publicly embraced the Pc as their platform of option. Pushing the boundaries of modern gaming and gaining acceptance in the enthusiast community has not usually been an easy job.* Early implementations of Steam were met with fierce opposition. People by their very nature do not like change, I am just glad Valve were persistent, pushing past the various bugs, poor press and competitors, creating the Steam platform as it is today.
First we need to establish what Steam is in the first place. 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 Computer gamers.
Simply put, Steam is an advanced digital distribution platform which enables gamers to download games, play online, create 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 in a position 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 concept and the hardware it runs on.
