Steam

About

Steam is a digital distribution service made for video games started in 2003 by video game developer Valve Software. Initially started as a way to update Valve's online games, such as Counter Strike, it has since expanded into a marketplace selling products ranging from games by other developers and by Valve themselves, to movies, videos, and hardware, alongside offering game developers features such as an anti-cheat system and digital rights management. Since its expansion into distributing video games, it has also been well known for its seasonal sales, where numerous games are sold at a discounted price, to the general enjoyment of its users.

History

Highlights

There are many running gags and jokes within the Steam user base. After Valve introduced Steam Reviews, which enabled users to post their reviews and opinions on the game, many satirical user reviews began spreading around the community in 2013. Also noting that none of Valve's titles have the number "3" included, with the exception of "Half Life 2: Episode Three", people have started to joke about Valve (or more specifically, Gabe Newell) being unable to count to 3. Even the annual discount events that take place on Steam, in which many prices are temporarily lowered, has become a running gag as many Steam customers tend to overspend and make impulse purchases. The ASCII art titled Valve, Add This Please! has been widely used in response to most likely a game that has been submitted to the Steam Greenlight and is well requested to be added as a Steam game.

Traffic

On the "Alexa" network trafficking site, the Steam Community website has a global ranking of the 301st most popular site as of February 2015^[2], which also ranks #196 in the United States alone. There are 4.96 daily pageviews per visitor.

Search Interest

External References