Internet leaks state the 2015 Steam Summer Sale will begin on June 11, 2015. They all seem accurate, with one of the messages even coming from a PayPal email encouraging consumers to get ready to shop, so it’s pretty much a sure thing. The thing is, does it really matter? Is this year’s Steam Summer Sale such a big deal?
This will be my fourth Steam Summer Sale. Maybe my fifth, even? After a while, they blend together. That’s the thing about them. Aside from the distinguishing promos that perhaps net you some extra trading cards, badge icons, themes, or bonuses, they all start looking alike. Steam Sales aren’t the event they used to be.
A big part of it has to do with the content of said sales. We’re of an era where most people have been using Steam for at least two, maybe even three years. Odds are, even longer. We’ve experienced more than a few sales in their time, which means we’ve discovered something important. There really isn’t much diversity when it comes to the “big” deals. We’ll see the same, standard AAA blockbusters and indie darlings from year to year, often with the same or similar pricing as previous sales.
Not that the pricing matters. As I’ve pointed out, a lot of these games are the same ones we’ve seen reduced in previous Steam Sales. Odds are, we already bought them if we wanted them and, if we haven’t in previous sales, an extra dollar or two off may not make much of a difference. They’re old hat.
“But what about the indies?” you may ask. Here’s the thing. Have you ever looked at how many indie game bundles are available online now? There are at least 10 trustworthy sites packing games together, offering between six and ten at a time, often for under $5. That’s cheaper than any price you’d pay during a Steam Sale. When these come up so often, they’re hard to resist. Especially since they can have really recent releases packed into them. It makes it difficult to go for one indie game during a Steam Sale.
I suppose some of it could be cynicism and old age setting in. Once you have a Steam library with over 200 games in it, you start wondering if you really need 100 more. Maybe if it’s a “new” release, one that hasn’t ever been in a sale, it ends up in the cart. Or if it’s something you’ve wanted and put off for a while. But there’s a point where the backlog kicks in, you look at the client, and realize that you don’t need a game just because you can get it for under $3. It doesn’t mean Steam Sales have gotten bad. It’s about growing up, savoring the occasional deal, and not going crazy.