Tips for using Steam in 2022
I spent a significant amount of my teenage years as a PC gamer. Some of my favorite games of all time include Portal and Team Fortress 2. Both are games created by Valve. And both require Steam to run.
If you are a PC gamer then you will have Steam installed on your machine. It is to PC gaming as water is to fish. Necessary. But Steam has changed a lot over the last ten years. Every time I log onto it there seems to be some new feature or layout change. And if, like me, you don’t PC game as much as you used to, it can be quite daunting. So here are some tips for navigating and using Steam in 2022.
Keep An Eye on the Sales
One of the main features of Steam is the game store. It boasts one of the largest catalogs of games out of any gaming store on the planet. Thanks in part to the Green Light feature, which allows independent game developers to get their games on the store.
The best part about the Steam store is the sales. There are regular sales with prices dropping as low as 70% off. So we advise you to always check the store for the latest deals. If there is a game you are eyeing up we recommend putting it onto your wishlist. Then, if the game goes on sale, Steam will automatically send you an email telling you.
Look For Useful Addons
The best thing about a lot of PC programs is the ability to create addons or modifications for them. And Steam is no different. Over the years people have created a number of fantastic add-ons such as the steam report bot or the deal auto finder.
One of the best add-ons, in our opinion, is the Steam idler. A few years back Valve added a trading card system to Steam. Certain games now reward you with little digital cards for playing them. There is no in-game requirement you have to meet either. It is determined by your playtime. So the more you play a certain game, the more cards you get.
The Steam idler is a program that tells Steam you are currently playing a specific game, even when you’re not. This means your playtime continues to go up without actually having to sink any hours into it. This will naturally lead to more cards. This leads us to the next area of discussion.
The Steam Marketplace
A cornerstone of a lot of Valve games is the ability to buy or find different cosmetics. This trend started with the hats in Team Fortress 2 and has become a staple of games such as Counter Strike and Dota 2. But Valve took it a step further and added a secondary market to Steam. Now players can sell their in game cosmetics, as well as the Steam trading cards, to other players.
The big upside to this is players can earn real money from the marketplace. Money that can be used to buy other items from the market or even to buy games from the store. This was one of the biggest, and most well-received updates Valve has made to Steam in recent years.
The idler program we mentioned earlier is great if you plan to make a bit of extra money on the market. The cards rarely go for more than a couple cents. But if you sell enough of them you can earn a few bucks to spend on an indie game. The main thing is you need to be patient. Sometimes it can take a while for any of your market listings to sell.
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