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Has Steam Lost Its Way?

Has Steam Lost Its Way?

At first, Steam was a hub for games. Not just any games either, but good games. If a title was on Steam, you knew it was one of the best. There was merit to it. It would be a game you would want to own, because the people making it put time and effort into ensuring it was a top quality item.

That ended when the Greenlight program opened up. Because then, we started seeing shovelware slip through. In came a deluge of hidden object games, projects people made as jokes, and anything else from anyone clever enough to convince people to vote. And why would Valve care? It’s getting money from every possible sale. The standard of quality has gone. Add some software? Sure, what the hell! Why not?

But now, it’s gone a step further. Back when Steam used to offer video game documentaries and media, it was understandable. They’re properties related to games. But now, it’s trying to transform into some sort of media center. Over 60 Lionsgate Movies are available to rent for between $3.99 and $4.99, and more are on the way. Instead of being a resource for getting the best of the best, it’s diversifying as much as possible in the name of money. The only way you can tell Steam is still Steam is because of the color scheme, layout, and logo. The library is unrecognizable.

Which is going to be bad for everyone, because companies do their best when they focus on their primary agenda and core audience. Steam has always been about serving people who love games. Switching focus like this is going to alienate that audience. Altering the Steam Sale formula for the last event was drastic enough, but making it a mass media hub? And since Steam is still focused enough on games to make the Lionsgate rentals a bit of an anomaly, people heading there to rent are going to be disappointed with the selections. And probably the service too, if something should go wrong with the rental process.

Has Steam Lost Its Way?

If anything, Valve should be focusing on getting its own house in order, before making all these deals to branch out into different areas. The customer service offered is appalling. What the company should be doing is making it easier to get in touch with support representatives and receive prompt assistance. It’s a good thing the refund process is largely automated, because imagine how troublesome it’d be if it wasn’t!

Steam is trying to do too much. It shouldn’t be attempting to be the hub for every form of entertainment. It’ll only start slipping up in the areas that matter. No matter how many Lionsgate movies show up, it’ll never be enough for people only looking to rent. And inundating the storefront with all of this other, non-game content is only going to frustrate people who’ve stuck with the service for years. It could end up working out, but will only irrevocably alter Steam’s reputation in the process.

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