Steam

Steam is an on-line community that allows PC and/or Mac users to purchase video games from a vast library and download them straight to their PC and/or Mac. The software is available for free download on the Steam website.http://store.steampowered.com/about/

Once a member of the Steam community, a user has the ability to access their account and play their purchased video games from any computer. A users progress in the games and all his social activity in the on-line community is saved and can be accessed from any computer, as well.

As of April 2010, the Steam community is just shy of 2.4 million users, a number which may continue to be on the rise with the inclusion of Mac user capability in the same month.http://store.steampowered.com/stats/

To enjoy Steam at its highest quality, be sure to use a computer that meets the following system requirements:

1. Windows XP, Vista or 7, Mac OS X or higher
2. 256 MB RAM
3. 1 Ghz or faster processor
4. 1GB HD space (recommended)
5. Internet connection (broadband recommended)http://store.steampowered.com/about/

Developed and released by the Valve Corporation, on September 12, 2003, Steam has created an extremely popular content delivery, social networking, on-line game system, actively used now by about 2.4 million people at a time.http://store.steampowered.com/stats/

Steam allows its members to:

1. Immediately access a library of over 1,000 video games, including new releases and old classics
2. Play newly purchased and downloaded video games instantly #interact with other gamers through the Steam community by hosting or joining chats, matches, and tournaments
3. Talk with friends and join them in games using Steam's "Friends" service
4. Browse through thousands of on-line, multiplayer game servers
5. Not worry about updating previously purchased games; Steam updates each purchased game automatically!
6. Access games and community from any computer at any time
7. Get exclusive deals, like discounts and free-play weekends, available only to Steam membershttp://store.steampowered.com/about/<ref>

On March 8, 2010, the Valve Corporation announced that its gaming service and gaming engines, Steam and Source, respectively, would be Mac-compatible in April.http://store.steampowered.com/news/?filter=press In the months since, Valve Software has launched Mac versions of Portal, Half-Life 2, Team Fortress 2, and most recently, Counter-Strike: Source.http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2010/06/press-start-super-mario-galaxy-2-sales-counter-strike-on-macs/1

Not only are Mac users being allowed into the Steam gaming community, but PC users who have already downloaded games through Windows will be able to play them on a Mac through a new feature called Steam Play. Steam Play gives users cross-platform access to all previously-purchased PC Valve games.http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/17/steam-on-mac-os-x-interview/

The latest version of Counter-Strike on Steam for Mac users is the first transitional game to allow this new feature. It also includes new achievements and engine updates. For those with the PC version, you can also play the game on a Mac using your PC account.http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2010/06/press-start-super-mario-galaxy-2-sales-counter-strike-on-macs/1

In an interview with Joystiq, an on-line gamers publication, the director of Steam development at the Valve Corporation, John Cook said, "We consider this to be the biggest event in Steam's history since the service was first launched. There are several people involved, from the UI team working on Mac support in the Steam client to graphics engineers working on the native version of Source and our games. It's a big effort."http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/17/steam-on-mac-os-x-interview/