Steam: Changing our World for the Second Time
First, it was Counter-Strike:Source and Half-Life 2. Then, it turned mainstream, and now a ton of game developers use it. What am I talking about? Steam, of course! No, not water-steam, but Steam, the content distribution system that’s out to change the way we get our software.
Gone are the days of having to bike down to the local EB Games to pick up a game, now you can pre-order a game available on PC via Steam, as long as you’ve got an account and a method of paying. Your Steam account is significantly important, as every single game that you purchase will be stored right on the account. If you’ve got more than one computer, this is a great system - download, and install. You don’t have to worry about CD-keys or CD-corruption because the data is all digital, and Steam games can be played on more than one computer, provided it is not at the same time. I’m not encouraging illegal activity, just stating the facts.
Steam’s also been known to be the distributor of free content for nVidia and ATI video cards. A couple of months ago, I ended up creating a Steam account in order to download Portal: The First Slice, and Half-Life 2: Lost Coast and Half-Life 2: Deathmatch. They’re not bad games, but my PC could hardly handle them (I need a new computer).
The only downside to Steam is if you lose your account or password, or get your account hacked, you’re in serious trouble. I’m sure that it’s recoverable to a certain extent, but you’ll have a hard time providing the right information and either way, it’ll be a hassle. Don’t lose your password or username!
Steam’s following in the footsteps and pluses of digital media - delivering the content to you, as opposed to you having to go out and buy the game. It’s a great system, it’s flexible, convenient, and at times, there are special discounts and freebies given away. I highly suggest taking a look at Steam if you’ve got a great download speed and love for gaming.
Want to give Steam a try? Go right ahead - visit http://steampowered.com for more information.
