What is Steam?

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Steam is a popular digital game distribution platform created and operated by Valve Corporation. It allows users to purchase, download and run games on various platforms such as Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Steam is one of the largest digital platforms in the world, offering thousands of games from both independent developers and large publishers. In addition to digital distribution, Steam also offers social features such as discussion forums, wish lists, achievements, and the ability to create and participate in groups.

What is the difference between Steam and other gaming platforms?

Steam is one of the largest digital game distribution platforms, offering a huge library of games and a wide range of features for players and developers. One of the biggest differences between Steam and other platforms is its popularity and size. Steam has a very large and diverse community of players, and also offers many different features, including social, such as forums, ratings and reviews, and chat with other players.

Steam also offers a range of tools and features for developers, such as the ability to publish games, easily create and manage DLC, access to developer tools, as well as data analytics and sales tools.

Another difference between Steam and other platforms is that Steam allows you to access your games and account from any device that has Steam software installed, making it easy for players to switch between different computers. Steam also offers a system of achievements and trading cards that encourage you to play your favorite games again, as well as regular promotions and sales.

What is Valve?

Valve Corporation is an American company that develops and distributes computer software, including video games. The company was founded in 1996 by former Microsoft employees Gabe Newell and Mike Harrington.

Currently, Valve is one of the largest game producers in the world, and its most famous product is the Steam digital distribution platform. Valve is also responsible for the development of many popular games such as Half-Life, Counter-Strike and Portal.

What are the advantages of Steam?

Steam offers many advantages for gamers, including:

Large selection of games: Steam is one of the largest digital game distribution platforms in the world, offering thousands of games from various genres.
Lots of promotions: Steam often offers promotions on games, sometimes up to 90% off. In addition, there are regular sales, such as summer or winter sales, during which the prices of games drop drastically.
Community: Steam is also a gaming community where you can chat with other players, join thematic groups or organize your own games.
Steam Workshop: Steam Workshop is a tool that allows players to easily add mods to their favorite games. This allows you to change the graphics, add new features or completely change the gameplay.
Library Sharing: Steam allows you to share your game library with other users, so you can play your friends’ games without having to buy them.
Automatic Updates: Steam updates games automatically, meaning players don’t have to worry about manually installing patches or updates.
Cross-platform support: Steam offers cross-platform support, including Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Security: Steam employs various security mechanisms, such as two-factor verification, to protect player accounts from theft and other threats.
Availability: Steam is available to players worldwide and offers multiple languages, making it easily accessible to different cultures and nationalities.
Integration with other platforms: Steam allows you to integrate with other platforms such as Xbox Live or PlayStation Network, so you can have your entire game library in one place.

Of course, not all features are available for all games on Steam, but in general, the platform offers many benefits to gamers.

What are the downsides of Steam?

Here are some downsides that are sometimes mentioned by Steam users:

Competition with other platforms: While Steam is one of the most popular gaming platforms, many other competing platforms have emerged, such as the Epic Games Store or GOG.com, offering their own perks and exclusive titles.
Refund Policy: Steam’s refund policy is relatively restrictive, which can be a problem if you want to return a game that doesn’t work properly on your computer, or you just don’t like it.
Piracy issue: Steam is not free from piracy problem and some games are available in illegal versions on the platform.
Usage Policy Changes: Valve, the owner of Steam, may make changes to its usage policy without notice, which may surprise or upset some users.
Privacy issues: Steam collects data about users, which may be of concern to some. Although Valve ensures that their privacy policy is secure, many people are still concerned about their personal information.

What are the best Valve games?

Valve is a company that is mainly known for its digital game distribution platform – Steam. Valve is also the developer of many popular games. Here are some of the best games made by Valve:

Half-Life 2 – one of the most famous and appreciated action/FPS games, which was released in 2004. The game has won numerous awards, including “Game of the Year” in 2004.
Portal 2 – A popular puzzle game that requires players to solve puzzles using portals. The game was released in 2011 and has won numerous awards, including the title of “Game of the Year” in 2011.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive – a popular online game that requires players to cooperate and tactically think. The game was released in 2012 and has since gained immense popularity among players. In 2023, Counter-Strike 2 was announced, which will be the successor to CS:GO.
Left 4 Dead 2 – Action/FPS game where players have to survive zombie attacks. The game was released in 2009 and received many positive reviews.
Team Fortress 2 – a popular online game in which players fight in teams. The game was released in 2007 and has won numerous awards, including “Game of the Year” in 2007.

What is Counter-Strike 2?

Counter-Strike 2 was announced in 2023 and will be published by Valve Corporation, creator of the Counter-Strike series based on the Source 2 graphics engine. After Counter-Strike: Source, Valve released a new version of the game simply titled Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) in 2012, which is a continuation of the series and is an extension of the previous parts.

CS:GO is a popular multiplayer first-person shooter game in which players are divided into teams of terrorists and counter-terrorists, competing against each other to complete specific tasks or eliminate opponents.

Counter-Strike has a large community of players and the most developed esports scene among all online games. Players love CS:GO because of weapon skins, which are additional items in the game.

Does Steam offer a gaming subscription?

No, Steam does not offer a player subscription. However, it allows games from other publishers such as Ubisoft or EA if the games of those developers have also been released on Steam.

What is Steam Wallet?

Steam Wallet is a digital “purse” on the Steam platform that allows users to store money in their Steam account. You can deposit money using various payment methods such as credit cards, online wallets, gift cards, and even Bitcoin. This way, when a user wants to make a purchase on Steam, they can simply use the funds accumulated in their account, without having to enter payment details each time.

Steam Wallet is also useful for features such as in-game purchases, some of which can be purchased directly from within the game without having to leave the game.

Steam Wallet Gift Cards can be purchased from retail stores or the Steam store and added to your account. The gift card has a unique code that must be entered in the “Add Funds” window in the Steam library or during the purchase process.

Once you enter the code, the funds will be credited to your Steam account and will be available to purchase games and other content on Steam. Steam gift cards are also a popular gift for gamers.

What is Steam Deck?

Steam Deck is the latest handheld console from Valve, creators of the Steam platform. The device was unveiled in July 2021 and offers gamers the opportunity to play their favorite titles without the need for a computer.

Steam Deck is equipped with a touch screen with a diagonal of 7 inches, with a matrix with a resolution of 1280×800 pixels. The console runs on the dedicated SteamOS operating system, based on Linux, and has built-in storage with a capacity of 64 GB, 256 GB or 512 GB, expandable with a microSD card.

Steam Deck also allows you to connect wireless controllers, speakers, and headphones to it.

Can you play Steam games on Steam Deck?

Yes, Steam Deck runs on the SteamOS operating system, which allows users to run and play Steam games. All games that are available on Steam should be supported on Steam Deck. However, due to differences in hardware, some games may require adjustments to graphics settings to run smoothly on Steam Deck.

In addition, game developers who have made special versions of the settings for their games can receive the “Deck Verified” status, which Steam grants to games ready to play on the Steam Deck. If you own a game on Steam, you don’t have to buy it a second time on Steam Deck.

Why do gamers choose Steam games?

Players select Steam games for many reasons. Here are a few of them:

Massive Game Library: Steam offers one of the largest game libraries on the internet, with hundreds of thousands of titles, both new and old. Players can pick from many genres and categories such as action games, RPGs, simulations and many more.
Well organized library: Steam offers a simple-to-use user interface and allows you to easily sort and search for games in your library.
Frequent Discounts: Steam offers regular discounts on many games, sometimes as much as 90% off the original price. This allows players to save a lot of money on purchases.
Gaming community: Steam is not only a platform to buy and play games, but also a gaming community. Players can create profiles, add friends, join groups and message boards, share their gaming experiences, and more.
Automatic Updates: Steam updates games automatically, meaning players don’t have to download and install updates manually.
Social features: Steam offers a lot of social features, such as multiplayer games, voice and text chat, as well as achievements, achievements, and leaderboards.
Ease of installation: Launching the game on Steam is simple and easy. Players simply purchase the game, download it, and launch it from the Steam library.

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