Summary
Valve’s brand-new Steam Families feature recently went live on the PC gaming platformSteam, providing a new level of connectivity for relatives. While the idea of families sharing a gaming portal is idyllic, the plan does come with restrictions that not allSteamusers are happy about, and they’re making their voices heard on social media.
Since its launch in 2003, Steam has grown to become a prominent PC gaming platform in the industry, and the portal previously had a family-sharing feature that allowed up to 10 friends to use the same library.Call of Dutyfans rebelled whenModern Warfare 2disabled family sharingon Steam in the past, and history seems to be repeating itself with Steam Families’ new wave of limitations.
Following the Steam Families Beta test earlier this year, the feature is now live on the platform and allows up to five family members to join one Steam Family. Joining members gain access to the shareable games owned by relatives, and each user can play different games at the same time. Additionally, if the family library has multiple copies of one game, several family members can play that game in tandem.
Valve Launches Steam Families Feature
Furthermore, Steam Families supports parental controls, allowing adults to restrict access to chat and store features, implement playtime limits, and grant access to suitable games. A new payment option will let a child request an adult family member to pay for items in their shopping cart, removing the need for gift purchases. Even though Gearbox Software co-founderRandy Pitchford predicted Steam’s demise recently, it seems the platform is driven to add new features to further its success.
Overriding theSteam Deck’s previous family-sharing feature, Steam Families will also be available to use on the handheld, but users aren’t happy about a few restrictions in the overall plan. It was noted that adults can leave a family group at any time, but they’ll need to wait a year before joining another. Steam accounts must also be in the same country if they want to join a family group, which is disappointing for long-distance relatives. Steam users complained on Twitter about the region lock, highlighting that many PC users have overseas relatives and friends, and the one-year wait to join a new family group is excessive in the community’s eyes.
September 10 marked the anniversary of when Steam accounts were first made, includingSteam’s very first user account that turned 21 years old. A majority of PC players have used the platform at some point in their gaming history, and the Steam Families feature seems like a positive step forward for shared entertainment, even though a few caveats need to be ironed out.
Steam
Steam is a digital video game storefront and program developed by Valve that allows gamers to purchase, play, and mod their titles all through one convenient program.
