Random Stuff We Like: Steam

I like to play games.  No, I am not talking about hopscotch, jump-rope, pin the tail on the donkey, and certainly not psychological games to mess with people.  I am talking about video games.  It has always been a hobby of mine for at least the last 30 years.  I remember back in 1982 when we bought the Atari 800 that had a full keyboard and a lid that you lifted up to plug in cartridges for games.  When we bought the 5.25″ disc drive for the computer (for around $800!) that was the height of technology and we could now buy all sorts of other games!

The process of buying games and downloading them has come a long way in 30 years.  Now there are many, many ways for you to purchase games if you enjoy them.  You can get games on your phone, on your i-pad, your gaming console, etc.  You can walk into a store and buy them or, even better – you can download them.

And that is where Steam comes into play (no pun intended).  Steam started out to be copy protection for a very popular game created by a company named Valve (get it – Valve…Steam…?)   Very soon after release, they offered the ability to digitally download games.  At first it was just their own games, and then after a short while they offered many games from other game makers.

They are now the largest and most popular digital download platform with an estimated 70% of a 4 billion dollar a year digital download business worldwide.  As of the writing of this blog entry I could not find an exact total of games that they offer, but on the front page of their site they say they have 2,569 games under $10.00 and 1,576 games under $5.00.  Just those numbers alone show that they have a lot to choose from.

They offer the most current games from big game developers as well as small “indie” games that are made by one or two people.  In my opinion, they are very democratic about what games they offer on their site.

They also routinely have huge sales on top games.  During Christmas and New Years for instance, they often had top selling games for anywhere from 50% to 75% off.  That is a big discount!

Not into games…?  Well, they just recently added a section for software where they offer a variety of programs that range from personal budget programs to game development software.  Just last month Amanda wrote a recommendation for Camera Bag 2 and mentioned that it is offered on Steam.

You should check it out and see what they offer.  Everyone enjoys a good game now and then.  I know there was a time a few years back when my whole family was practically addicted to a game called Bookworm, and I have to say without a doubt … it was time well wasted!

2 thoughts on “Random Stuff We Like: Steam

  1. That Atari entertained me after you left for college! I could go for a little Summer Olympics diving or Montezuma’s Revenge right now!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *