Steam Game Sharing - limited beta starting next week

[Slothy]

The Escapist : News : Rumor: Game Sharing Coming To Steam

So it looks like there's some indication that game sharing might be a thing coming to Steam. Not going to lie, if this is true then that's damn cool. Just make sure Pike's not playing a game before "borrowing" it or you'll never get to play.

UPDATE: Steam Game Sharing Begins Limited Beta Soon | The Escapist

Not actually a rumour anymore. Limited Beta starts next week. Quick everyone, friend Pike so you can play her games.

[Bolivar]

It's funny, cause I was watching a Major Nelson interview where he was getting grilled on how Xbox One was (before today) supposed to have all kinds of crazy restrictions but none of the digital benefits Steam has, and his response was how Steam doesn't have the game sharing features the One will (would). Not really sure if this was a response to that.

Can't you just register your account onto as many devices as you want and play the library as long as no one is simultaneously logged in on another machine? Just seems unnecessary.

[Slothy]

You can do that, but based on the stuff people dug up it looks like you'd be able to share games you aren't playing to other people while you're still in your account playing something else. I could see this going farther than simply people in your family whose computers you install Steam on. I wouldn't trust a friend with my Steam account, but would I share a game they're interested in so they can try it out? Absolutely.

[Shauna]

Interesting. The world of digital media is changing. xD

[Pike]

Might be cool. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out.

[Slothy]

Bumping this since it's no longer a rumour as per the new link in the OP.

[NorthernChaosGod]

Am I friends with Pike yet? Definitely going to be friends with her.

EDIT: "~Yes I'm a robot who plays games, don't hit on me silly biologicals~ <3 "
You're so cute, Pikebot. xD

[Nicolas]

This could turn out to be a good idea to anybody with a friend that has a massive list of games or buys everything.

[Slothy]

Basically Pike.

[Jiro]

All we need to do is keep gifting her games and we're all winners

[Pike]

I like where this thread is going.

[Sephex]

I have been friends with Pike for awhile on Steam, and she already promised me to let her games collect virtual dust in my Library, so I beat you all to the punch.

[The Man]

So is your name on Steam Pikestaff like it is everywhere else, Pike?

I probably won't be fast enough to get into the limited beta

[Slothy]

So is your name on Steam Pikestaff like it is everywhere else, Pike?

I probably won't be fast enough to get into the limited beta

I posted the damn article here and I wasn't fast enough. I checked the steam group after reading the article and there were already 75,000 members.

[Skyblade]

So is your name on Steam Pikestaff like it is everywhere else, Pike?

I probably won't be fast enough to get into the limited beta

I posted the damn article here and I wasn't fast enough. I checked the steam group after reading the article and there were already 75,000 members.

Is that surprising? This sort of thing would go immediately as people found out.

Honestly, I don't see how anyone can really call this a bad thing. Giving even a temporary loan period for a game is going to make money. Sure, you'll get people who play a game, don't like it, and decide not to get it. But far more often than that, you'll get people who play a game for a week, get hooked, and wind up shelling out the extra fifteen to forty bucks for it.

Even on Steam, tons of games don't have demos. There are plenty of games that we hear about through word of mouth, but don't get to try. Games that we like the sound of, but never get around to trying. Etcetera. This will fix all of that.

But, lest we forget, it's going to be restrictive. It's a Steam system, so it will be heavily restricted. How long you can share out a game, how many you can share out at once, how many total, how often you can share an individual game, whether you can extend a share, etcetera. All these things are probably going to be restricted to some degree. And all in a way that will make Steam more money.

Steam is already a master of enticement and salesmanship. Now factor this in, and what they could do with it. Share sales, where you can buy a game that you had lent to you for a discounted price. Share credits, where Pike gets a little bit of store credit back if her friend buys a game Pike lent her. Share enticements, like a free weapon DLC or hat pack for both gamers if the player who was lent the game then purchases it. It's Steam. We'll get promotions like that, I'm sure, even if the details are up in the air.

I think this will be great for consumers by letting us share and play games we otherwise wouldn't get a chance to try, and I think it will be great for Steam because if they approach this at all intelligently, they stand to make a killing in additional sales.