by Yealin Lee, staff reporter

Steam is an internet-based program developed by Valve Corporation. It provides the user with early access to games that are yet to be released that users can buy.

Steam also provides automatic update of the games and community features such as friends lists and groups. And it is useful in providing the players with a digital library of all their games to keep everything neat and organized.

“I have been using Steam for a couple months now, what I like best is the community and the free to play games,” middle schooler Ethan Garro said.

According to the New York Times, many players enjoy this type of test run. They explain that the early access to the game helps them to comment on what can be fixed for future references. This helps to make the games better and gives a voice of what players want seen in the games.

“It gives me time to try out the game before I actually buy it,” junior Daniel Kricheli said.

Starting from September 2014, over 3,700 games were available through Steam; with 100 million active users. It is also estimated by Screen Digest (company providing business intelligence) that 75% of games bought online are through Steam.

There are many different types of games available through Steam, and the most recent early access games are Interstellar Marines, World of Driving, and Supreme Ruler Ultimate.

The prices range from as low as $4.99 to as high as $30 (some games are given a discount from time to time). They also provide demo games sectioned into two groups: ‘Just Released’, and ‘Most Popular’.

Steam also organizes the games into genres such as: action, adventure, casual, indie, massively multiplayer, racing, RPG, simulation, sports, and strategy. They also divide it into another category into ‘free to play’ and games people must pay for.

Steam works with the developers of each game by sharing the profit they make. They both work to provide the users with the least inconveniences but since it is a test run, they alert the players that the games might crash.

To submit a game or to learn more about steam, go to their site: Valve Software or Steam.