Steam's Rollicking 20-Year Journey: From Reviled DRM to Beloved PC Gaming Platform
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Steam launched 20 years ago as a way for Valve to update games and combat cheating. Many saw it as restrictive DRM.
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Early days of Steam frustrated players as Half-Life 2 required the platform and internet connection just to play single player.
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Over time Steam added features like cloud saves, user content, and Steam Sales, making it more popular.
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Valve later experimented with Steam Machines then found success with the Steam Deck handheld.
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Now Steam is a household name in PC gaming with over 125 million users.