Steam is one of the few companies that have really made a difference in the world of video gaming.
Founded in 2003 by Valve Corporation, Steam transformed how we buy, play, and connect over games.
Starting as an easy solution for the distribution of updates on Valve’s titles, it gradually evolved into a busy digital marketplace serving millions of gamers around the globe.
It does not just change the landscape of gaming.
In particular, Steam’s rich library of games, lively community features, and innovative developer tools, empower independent creators and make it more engaging for players.
What is Steam?
Steam is primarily a digital distribution client that allows its customers to purchase, download, and manage video games.
The most attractive features of Steam are:
Library: The purchased games are stored in a virtual library that users can access through any device.
Automatic Updates: It automatically updates the games so players will have their latest versions without any manual updates.
Community Features: Steam provides social networking wherein users may befriend friends, find, and join groups to discuss anything they want.
Steam Workshop: This feature allows users to create and share game content that upgrades the gaming experience, including user-made items.
Since its conception, Steam grew exponentially in hosting not only games but also software applications hence acting as a very robust platform for digital content.
Key Milestones
- Early Development (2002-2003): Valve developed Steam under the working titles “Grid” and “Gazelle.” In March 2002, it released the beta version of Steam at the Game Developers Conference. On September 12, 2003, Steam officially launched, initially focusing on automating updates for Valve’s games.
- Expansion of Features (2004-2010): Late 2005 was the first time third-party titles were distributed through Steam, marking the company’s position as a complete digital store. Since then, Valve has presented a couple of improvements that promised to improve the experience of the users and their interaction with it:
- Steamworks (2008): This set of tools enabled developers to implement Steam’s content into their games, facilitating matchmaking, and introduced the anti-cheat system.
- Steam Cloud (2009): This feature would store countless game saves automatically. Hence, providing users access to their saved data on any device and worrying about losing progress.
- Mac OS X Client (2010): The introduction of a Mac client broadened Steam’s user base significantly.
- Community and Social Features (2007-2012): Soon after its inception, Steam realized the importance of connecting with its community. For this reason, community features such as forums, user reviews, and trading cards gained much importance, resulting in an incredibly active social network among users. In 2011, Steam Workshop was launched, where users could now create and share content for numerous games.
- Innovative Initiatives (2012-Present): Valve continued to innovate with ideas like Steam Greenlight introduced in 2012, which enabled users to vote for indie games that should be put out on the platform. It democratized game distribution and empowered independent developers. As of 2021, Steam had grown to host more than 101,000 games and boasted more than 31 million monthly active users.
- Hardware Ventures: The success of Steam also led Valve to venture into hardware with products like the Steam Machine gaming PCs in 2015 and the handheld Steam Deck in 2022, further solidifying its position in the gaming world.
What Makes Steam Successful?
Steam’s success can be attributed to a combination of strategic design choices coupled with an unrelenting focus on the user experience.
This user-centric design has been a key factor in creating this devoted following and keeping Steam the industry leader in digital gaming.
User-Centric Design: Saving games directly to the cloud and the ease of game libraries help in enhancing user experience.
Variety of Games: Steam features thousands of titles, from indies to AAA titles that increase potential users.
Regular Sales and Discounts: Steam hosts constant sales and discounts on all games, bringing new users, and existing ones to buy more titles.
Strong Community Engagement: Steam actively engages its users with forums, reviews, discussions, and voting on various events.
Steam evolved from a simple update tool for games to “The Ultimate Entertainment Platform”.
Final thoughts.
Steam demonstrates how innovation in the digital world can be successful and effective as well.
Creating a platform for modern gaming through the continuous evolution of services and engagement with the community has helped Steam create itself.
Its effects show the full tendencies towards establishing the future of how people will get and play their favorite video games.
With constant updates and innovation, Steam is now synonymous with PC gaming.
What’s New In EAFC25
Kicking things off, let’s talk about the elephant in the room; what are the new changes and how they play out in the game.
The most prominent updates this year are the FC IQ and Rush. FC IQ is probably the biggest change EA has made to the game in over a decade.
Rush is a new mode featuring 5v5 matches that makes the gameplay more intense than ever.
FC IQ is a game changer as it allows you to move away from the game’s traditional formation system and then implement the players’ lineups and strategies in a way that suits you the most. It grants you a whole new level of control compared to the FC24.
For example, in the real world, you might have seen Ancelotti’s Real Madrid shift between the 4-3-3 and 4-5-1, but now, you can maintain that same formation in EA Sports FC 25, which wasn’t available before.
But freedom isn’t the primary goal of this mode as FC IQ will also suggest the changes that you need to make to have the best possible formation. Rush isn’t anything extraordinary but it does add another mode to the game, making it more versatile.
Graphics & Gameplay – The Good Part
Graphics have been a primary focus for FC25, and that can be seen if you compare it to its predecessor.
There was a time when we used to think that FIFA 2002 looked realistic. Long gone are those days because the EA Sports FC25 dials all the visuals up many times.
This has allowed EA to turn FC25 into one of the best-looking football games of all time.
Compared to last year’s FC 24, the FC 25 is just better, sharper, and more detailed. The facial animations are also a step in the right direction as players look more natural.
Moving on to the gameplay, you will be surprised to see how good it is. There isn’t anything necessarily new but it feels fluid, faster, and more responsive than ever.
All in all, both the graphics and gameplay get a solid 10 out of 10.
Should You Play EA Sports FC 25?
The short answer is yes! It is the best-looking game you will find in the history of EA Sports and I would say that it’s better than any FIFA game that has come before it.
However, if you are expecting too many changes from the last game, you will be disappointed.
It is mostly the same, but is much more polished and feels a lot more lifelike, which makes the overall gameplay and visuals worth the upgrade from FC24.
