Steam games how does it work

However, once enabled, parents can choose whether kids can play any game or only games they've approved and added to the Family Game Library.

Family View also lets parents control whether kids have access to the Steam store, community-generated content, chat, forums, or online profiles. All of these features are PIN protected, so kids can't easily override them. There is also the option to set your account preferences to restrict titles that feature frequent violence, gore, nudity, or sexual content and to warn about mature user-generated content, but these aren't PIN protected.

Steam profiles are public by default, but the platform does allow you to make your game details, friends list, description, comments, and group ownership private or only available to your friends list.

Steam also has a security feature called Steam Guard that provides an additional level of security to an account. It uses either an approved email address or two-factor authentication via the Steam mobile app to protect accounts from hackers. Steam itself is free to download and use, but many of the games available do come with a cost.

Savvy gamers can wait for one of Steam's many sales for serious savings. Keep in mind that when you buy games from the Steam store, you can only play them on the Steam network. Steam Wallet is a way that users can buy games or other content on the Steam store.

Users can either add money to a Steam Wallet using a credit card or buy a physical Steam gift card at a store or supermarket and enter the code to access the funds. Using Steam Wallet can be a useful way for parents to manage their kids' spending on Steam, especially since some games are pricey to download or offer in-game purchases that can add up fast.

Parents' Ultimate Guide to Support our work! Corona Column 3 Use these free activities to help kids explore our planet, learn about global challenges, think of solutions, and take action. Parenting, Media, and Everything In Between. Parents' Ultimate Guide to Steam. Is your gamer obsessed with Steam? Here's everything you need to know about the popular but permissive PC gaming platform.

By Frannie Ucciferri. Topics: Gaming , Healthy Media Habits. Updated March 1, Parents' Ultimate Guide to Esports. Best MMOGs. Best Video Games for Teens. Nonviolent Video Games. About Frannie Ucciferri. If you're a PC gamer, chances are you'll come across Steam at some point. Steam is a digital distribution service for video games that features a vibrant community. The service has many features that you never realised you even wanted.

It also has a marketplace that offers continuous sales on all kinds of games, from major releases to indie titles. As a user, you'll use the library function to access all of your games that use Steam sometimes listed as Steamworks as their primary DRM Digital Rights Management mechanism. Steam provides easy access to these games; they also offer stats about your playing habits and a community page for each title, which can be very handy sometimes.

It's very easy to use once you know your way around and friendly to both beginners and advanced users. You can download the service from the installation page and have it running on your computer in no time. Simply click the install button and download it like any other program.

Buying a game on Steam is as easy as adding it to your cart and checking out. There's also a 'purchase as a gift' option if you want to treat one of your friends! The first thing you'll see when you open Steam - unless you've downloaded it along with a game - is the Store page.

It operates within the application much like any other online store. You will see games and software you can buy. It's worth noting that everything you buy from the Steam store will be a digital download. You can buy your game and download it instantly! This is one of many reasons I've become a huge fan of Steam in the few years I've been using it. Purchases can be paid via credit card or with a Steam gift card. You can also use PayPal if it is available in your country. Before that year, Steam was only relevant to games created by Valve.

By signing on external publishers to the platform, Valve let other big and well-known gaming companies like Capcom and Activision distribute their games on Steam. The diversity of video games easily accessible on the platform was great news for the gaming community. Valve also started adding in other features that eventually made Steam into the gaming distribution platform it is known for today.

By the time other digital distribution services started their operations, Steam had already established itself as the best for the gaming community. Gamers know Steam very well, considering that most go to the website to purchase games they cannot buy in their local gaming stores. Being easily accessible online, Steam is a good platform where gamers can purchase and download PC games directly into their computers. To buy games on Steam, users must register for a Steam account.

This allows users to download their games on any digital platform that supports Steam by logging into their accounts. Steam informs users on updates and software patches for glitches and bugs. The platform also frequently presents bundle deals and discounted video games. Players are given a Steam Library , a page where they can view the games statistics, achievements, the collection of played games, and friend activities.

Steam also has an online community where players can interact with one another via Steam Chat and Game Hubs. Through Steam Broadcast and Steam Workshop , gamers can livestream their playthroughs and collaborate in creating player mods. Steam has been the go-to game distribution platform for game developers. Steam currently has over 30, available games, ranging from AAA to indie games. Back when Steam was still new, it allowed any game developer to release their games on their website as long as they paid a certain amount and gave a cut of the profits back to the platform.

While this was beneficial for large game companies, it was too much of a risk with indie game developers. This led to the creation of Steam Greenlight. Initially, Steam used Steam Greenlight to know which indie games players wanted to be released on the platform. The Steam Greenlight was similar to that of a voting station, where the community chose the games they wanted to play.

This eliminated the need for developers to appeal to the gaming audience. This account will be unique, and you should create a password that is both secure and easy to remember. Launch the Steam software once the installation process is complete. The application should pop up and display on your screen following a brief wait. If the application doesn't automatically open, look for the Steam icon on your task bar.

Right click on it and select "Store. Utilize the search field function within the Steam store to search for the games you want to buy. If you do not have a particular game in mind to buy, you can use advanced search functions to seek for a game by genre, price, developer, publisher, category, operating system, and Metascore. To use the advanced search function, click on the magnifying glass icon next to the search field and then click on "advanced search.

View the games that catch your interest by left clicking on their icons or names. This will bring you to their information page, where you can view videos of games, view screen shots, read about games and their features, read reviews, and see system requirements. Add games to your shopping cart by clicking on the "Add to Cart" button. This button will also list the price of the game as well as indicate whether or not the game is currently on sale.

This will also bring you to your newly created shopping cart. If you have not previously done so, you will need to enter digital payment information. Access your cart when you are ready to check out and buy the games you selected.

Once you have items in your shopping cart, a green "cart" button will appear in the upper right portion of your steam application. It will also list, in parenthesis, the number of items you have in the cart. Choose whether to buy the game for yourself or whether you want to send it as a gift to a friend or family member. If you are sending the game as a gift, you can either have the information sent to the person's email address with information on how to access the gift, or allow them to unlock it directly through Steam.

You can use your credit card, debit card, Steam credits, Paypal, or any other form of electronic payment. Yes No. Not Helpful 14 Helpful Antonio Dintino. Yes, but an alternative would be to add money in your Steam Wallet by buying a pre-paid Steam card from your local retailer.