With 1,300 titles having arrived on Steam in the last nine months, Valve’s update aims to remove complications for players trying to find a new game to enjoy.
Valve is changing Steam in an attempt to make discovering games easier and smoother for its users. The “Discovery Update” aims to take the challenge out of finding new games in the client’s 3,700 title library, as well as alter its overall aesthetics.
The most notable changes from this update can been seen in the improved homepage via new filters and customization options. Steam users will now receive personalized game recommendations based on recent gameplay, past purchases, and suggestions from friends. Players will also be able to choose whether to display or hide things like Early Access titles, non-gaming software, and games they already own, as well as downloadable content for games in their library.
A new tool called Discovery Queue will provide a daily list of new, top-selling releases that users can browse and use to further personalize future recommendations. Through Discovery Queue, players will be able to add a game to their wishlist, follow updates for said game, or ignore it completely. Featured and popular new releases, alongside sales and recently updated games, will also be showcased on the main page.
Steam Curators is a new community aspect provided by the update, and centers around other Steam users who review and recommend game titles. Curators will be listed on the Steam homepage and individual product pages- which is where Valve advises users go in order to find curators with similar interests. To become a curator, a user (or group of users) can either start a new Steam Community group or be an officer/moderator of an already existing group. After that, users will need to make at least 10 recommendations on Steam. Valve encourages anyone to enlist; developers, journalists, artists, and even critics.
In a statement, Alden Kroll of Valve said, “We have made great efforts to increase the number of titles we can publish on Steam, which means more choices for customers. This update introduces multiple features and functionality to help customers explore Steam’s growing catalog and find the games they are most interested in playing.”
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Source: Polygon
