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What Is The Big Deal With Steam!?!?

xi mezmerize ix

xi mezmerize ix

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
May 24, 2010
602
0
Maryland, USA
I downloaded steam, in both osx and xp, and I dont understand why everyone talks about it, loves it, or uses it. Is there something im missing? I mean, you can buy digital copies of games, but I buy hard copies...so I dont need that function. You can put games into your steam library, but why?...you can just put them in a desktop folder. Please help me out. Am I missing some crucial aspect of steam that is holding me back from gaming bliss:(?
 
Well the in game overlay is pretty cool, being able to talk to friends, in game web browser etc, and Steam often has cheap games with the weekly sales which is always good value. And the convenience of being able to buy games at home for sometimes cheaper than the boxed versions retail copy is always nice.
 
Steam has in-game chat for your friends, in-game browser, groups and requires no disk as the game is saved on your personal steam account.
 
First of all it's an online gaming service with connectivity to "friends". Secondly in the Mac column there are 100 games that became available basically overnight. I've used Steam under Windows for quite a while. My primary objection to Steam is there is no opportunity to sell used games. That's about it.

The advantages of Steam, maybe not so much on the Mac yet, is that you'll see older games that you can no longer get to play, but they will play under Steam. Games like the original Half Life which came out well before XP can be played under Steam on the PC side. Another advantage is you'll see heavily discounted games or old games you want to play again for like $10. Something like KOTOR or Jedi Academy. I'm still talking about the PC side. Although the Mac side does not have nearly as many offerings, maybe in time it will get better.
 
There are community features in Steam. You set up a little profile page, chat with friends, invite them into games, Steam cloud, achievements, set up groups, ingame overlay (web, chat, clock (undeniably the most useful thing ever)).
Overall the games are pretty damn cheap too. That said I only buy games when Steam sales are on (unless it's a major release), which have outstanding deals.

I don't buy retail PC games any more. I like all my games in one place so not matter what computer I'm on I can access my account and play any of my games.

The library selection is great on Windows. I've got classics that I used to love, new games, some old console games, indie games. The sales are great for getting you to buy games you normally wouldn't. I mean I've bought racing games and I used to hate the genre! But £3 for GRID, FUEL etc and I now like it.
 
xi mezmerize ix said:
I downloaded steam, in both osx and xp, and I dont understand why everyone talks about it, loves it, or uses it. Is there something im missing? I mean, you can buy digital copies of games, but I buy hard copies...so I dont need that function. You can put games into your steam library, but why?...you can just put them in a desktop folder. Please help me out. Am I missing some crucial aspect of steam that is holding me back from gaming bliss:(?
Click to expand...

Because they are releasing games for the Mac and more game developers will write games for the Mac if they can distribute them easily (i.e. through steam). If you game in XP, you can easily get the games from other sources then steam so steam is not a big deal.
 
For me it's all about not having physical media and having to screw around with cd keys. Sure it takes longer to install a game, but I just start the game installing when I leave for work in the morning and it's good to go when I get home.
 
For me it is because of all the Valve games coming over to Mac. That is what makes it a big deal.

I don't like Steam simply because it is Steam, I like it because it allows me to play the games I enjoy: Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike, Day of Defeat, Half Life, etc.

.
 
things i love about steam
  1. Online storage of games and save info - that includes any game saves or settings. if you goto another pc, you'll have all your info with you. The ability to easily move ur games from one pc to another is sooo great.
  2. Online friends list - easy to hop in a join friends
  3. Lots of sales

and don't get me wrong about steam, it's not perfect. But it's the best way of managing games and playing with friends.
 
I prefer physical copies too - however I'm loving steam so far due to the following: -

1) Games released for the Mac we'd never have seen otherwise and the hope we'll see more in the future as publishers are encouraged by the success of Mac on steam.

2) Good sales on a regular basis which means any games I do buy, even if there is a boxed version, are significantly cheaper which is how it should be for digitial downloads in my view. i.e. although HOI 3 is out of the Mac as a boxed product I couldn't resist the £12.99 sale on steam ;)

3) Online gaming/chat facilities.
 
i can download my games on any computer that i sign into and play. thats a big reason i love it. their sales and pricing can be great most of the time. and it keeps it all organized, and it gives me access to games that i might never have heard about or had a chance to play, like Torchlight.
 
Great but Not Great

I've had a great time with the games Steam makes available (Portal, Half-Life 2, Eve Online, etc.).

I thought I would like the "have all games in one place" that Steam gives, and I do.

I love the great deals, and the access to older games (Loom, The Dig).

However, the downsides have got me thisclose to trashing Steam and all my Steam games and going back to the old way. 1) Steam crashes. That's just annoying but I can deal with it. 2) Some games don't work. I've had problems with Braid and Eve Online). When this happens, say hello to Steam customer support and goodbye to sanity. 3) I paid for an extension to Eve Online, but both Steam and Eve are unresponsive. 4) Steam customer logon is different from Steam regular logon.

The good is so much better than the bad, but the bad is so annoying (to me) that it may just not be worth it.
 
I've had a couple of problems too. I gave my old account to my girlfriend's brother which had HL2, Episode 1, CS Source, HL2 Deathmatch and some others. They locked the account for some reason. I tried to get in touch with them to unlock it, though it was my own fault for leaving it for 4 years. I had to request documents off my bank to prove I was me etc...

That was a pain and I never actually did get it back. But oh well! I really can't play PC games unless they're on Steam now. I love the chat overlay, I love the features Steam has that nobody else has (Cloud, community, full integration).
 
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