My account turns 20 on the 14th, and I can't help but think about the fact that games like Half-Life and Counter-Strike that I bought once 20 years ago are still so easy to play and enjoy today. Steam really set the model for how digital media sales should be done.
this post was submitted on 12 Sep 2023
323 points (98.5% liked)
Steam
10176 readers
44 users here now
Steam is a video game digital distribution service by Valve.
Steam News | Steam Beta Client news
Useful tools:
SteamDB
SteamCharts
Issue tracker for Linux version of Steam
founded 3 years ago
MODERATORS
Contrast to that was trying to play StarCraft again and even though I own I don't have a CD drive anymore. I'd have to buy another copy to even play again.
Actually if you have/create a battle net account, you can register your CD key to your account, and then they have a downloadable installer for starcraft and Diablo. 2, and other old games.
Pretty sure 20 years ago Counter Strike was still a free mod for half life.
When steam first came out I considered it a nuisance. I had bought half life 2 on disc and was pissed that I had to download a storefront for the game to run. It's still kind of bs from the POV an old-head gamer, ngl, but here we are in 2023 and it irritates me when a game isn't on steam lol.
MAKE PORTAL 3 COWARDS. YOU WONT.
What about Half-Life 3? XD
Make anything non-CS/TF-related.
HL Alyx was 3 years ago.
Honestly portal 2 was less interesting then portal 1. It was very meme heavy. It also became focused on running for your life instead of a puzzle game with a mystery. I'd rather see a new IP that isn't a card game.
I like portal 1 quite a bit more than portal 2. Portal 1 felt like this dark mystery with occasional bits of humor. It felt very connected to Half Life, not necessarily in story, but definitely in atmosphere. Portal 2 was missing a lot of that. It oddly felt less lonely than Portal 1, and was missing a lot of that Half Life atmosphere.
Additionally I love the implications that Portal 1 has if you play Half Life. Outside is absolute hell, and you don't know if you'd rather be outside the facility or inside it.
As of 11:55am EST today, my account still hasn't turned 20, so I'm guessing they actually store the exact hour/minute/second that you signed up for your account too. I think I used to get home from school around 2:45pm, so I gotta keep checking.
Your profile literally says the hour/min you signed up.
Just click on you 19year badge.
Thx, Apparently I signed up way later in the day than I thought! I gotta wait until 11pm, lol - damn it, I wanted to show off my 20yr badge in a screenshot today. :D
Would be curious to see it!
https://i.imgur.com/JD2jZ6p.png -- I guess the icon itself is the army green that's "special edition".
When Gaben dies and Steam inevitably sells out to corporate shills I’m going to shake my fist at the sky in anger.
I hope they keep him alive forever like a US congressperson
Yeah... as years go I keep thinking about this. Not sure if he has any real thought plan or something for somebody he trusts.... I mean he has kids but not sure about them wanting anything to do with it, or him wanting to give it to them, no idea.
So Steam can't even have a beer in the US?
Everyone here with their 20 year badges about to be unlocked and I’m over here with 9 year badge - curse my 7 year old self for only having access to a gameboy lmao
Cool! Now if only it would scrap the shitty DRM
You mean the Steam DRM that is cracked within seconds of a game releasing?
Doesn't matter, tbh. It shouldn't be there in the first place
It's token DRM for publisher box checking. It shouldn't need to there but I appreciate that they almost make a point of doing the bare minimum.
Never said I don't agree with you. Quite the opposite, instead. (Hence the joke about how the DRM is so shitty that it's cracked within seconds.)
Love the retro green look, suddenly brings back a bunch of memories!
My account turns 20 in a few hours...!!
It's strange, I would have thought Steam came out prior to 2003,
There are certain world-changing events that it's hard to remember them ever not-existing. Like...the iPhone was released in 2007. It's so weird to think of the time before smartphones. Like when Nextels were a thing and basically everyone had a walkey-talkey on them...
I got Steam on Christmas Day, 2004, so I'm not quite at the 20 year club yet. Regardless, the badge still impresses a great deal of fellow gamers.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
It's pretty hard to believe that it was 20 years ago that Steam arrived, and with it that glorious green interface.
They weren't even close to being the first digital store to provide games, but requiring Steam to run Half-Life 2 regardless of digital purchase or a boxed copy was likely the defining moment that helped push it to success for Valve.
This was likely my own introduction to Steam as well, back in the day were my PC could only just about run Half-Life 2 when you had long loading screens between sections.
Pictured - Steam homepage back in 2004 after Half-Life 2 released
Not everything Valve has tried went well like the original Steam Machines, and killing off their ambitions for non-gaming video content but they keep on trying and expanding and it seems there's really no stopping it.
Naturally, without Steam and Valve, Linux gaming wouldn't be where it is today so we're doubly thankful for its existence.
The original article contains 285 words, the summary contains 161 words. Saved 44%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
Woo 20 years of taking 30% from some of the most vulnerable game developers. It's okay though because recently they gave the non vulnerable a percentage cut.