Steam - The Definitive Gaming Platform5194136
Gaming has redefined itself constantly over the years, pushing boundaries by no means thought feasible - Not just technically, but socially, economically and even spiritually.
Pc gaming has usually been at the forefront of such advancement, although recently our beloved platform of choice has been often overlooked in favour of a more casual gaming audience - That of the typical Console owner. Do not get me wrong, consoles are fantastic in what they can accomplish 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 turn out to be.
Blizzard have been in a position to capitalise on the Pc as the premier MMORPG platform for its WOW franchise. Making full use of a PC's capability to establish multiple social networking services to compliment a game has definitely helped make WOW a massive success. Real Time Strategy and to some extent, First Individual Shooters are nonetheless each premier Computer gaming examples, although the benefit the Pc Gamer has in these locations is gradually 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 big Pc Franchises, It all appears rather ominous. Or does it?
Valve on many occasions have publicly embraced the Pc as their platform of choice. Pushing the boundaries of modern gaming and gaining acceptance in the enthusiast neighborhood has not usually been an easy job.* Early implementations of Steam were met with fierce opposition. Individuals by their very nature do not like alter, I am just glad Valve had been persistent, pushing previous the various bugs, bad press and competitors, creating the Steam platform as it is these days.
First we require to establish what Steam is in the first place. Valve defines Steam as the Nexus of Computer Gaming, and they are probably right. Absolutely nothing comes close in terms of functionality, appeal and usefulness to Pc gamers.
Merely put, Steam is an sophisticated digital distribution platform which allows gamers to download games, play online, create and participate in multiple distinctive gaming communities all with the capability to auto update itself and any Steam supported game you have.
The seminal update capability and the way it has been implemented by Valve is most likely the most distinctive and evolutionary aspect of the Steam platform. The Source engine has been able to continually evolve, powering games such as Team Fortress 2: A perfect instance of how a game can be influenced by the gaming community and continue to develop beyond the original implementation. This is all thanks to the Steam idea and the hardware it runs on.
