A Definitive Guide to Steam for Teens
If you’re into PC gaming at all, chances are you’ve come across Steam. While the Xbox and PlayStation rivalry has continued to dominate the console space for 15 years now, Steam has taken the PC gaming world by storm with a massive catalogue of 50,000 games. And of course, it goes without saying that teenagers are a very important component of this cohort.
But many people don’t realise exactly how hard the battle is for teens to play games sans judgement and debate (press F for respect). Teenage gaming has been a hot-topic for parents for a very long time, and the fact of the matter is that at the end of the day, any habit practiced with restraint is beneficial.
Especially gaming.
So What Exactly Is Steam?
Think of Steam like an integrated version of Amazon, Netflix, and Pinterest but for games. Teens can use the cloud platform to buy, chat, play, review, and create libraries of popular games.(even stream gaming sessions with fellow teenagers). It’s available on Windows, iOS, Linux and on mobile devices. (Oh and did we mention that it's free? Woohoo savings!)
To get started you’ll first need to create an account for yourself on its website, after which you must install it on your desktop/laptop/mac and run it. Enter your login credentials and voila! You’re in!
How Do You Buy Games on Steam?
When it comes to buying games on Steam, the interface is simple enough to take a teenager exactly where they need to go. What you seek will be waiting for you at the ‘Store’ tab, where you can add filters and tags to search new games or just directly search for the game you want.
Add them to the cart and proceed towards the payment gateway! Once the payment is confirmed you can install the chosen game, pin it to your desktop (or just access it from the Steam library) and start smashing those keys! Plus, Steam backs up most of your game saves, so say goodbye to age old ‘Save Corrupted’ rage moments.
Some other things you can do on Steam
If you head over to the ‘Community’ section, you can chat with fellow gamers and make general merriment (or war). Steam also allows users to send quick links and joining codes to their friends.
Tip: If you’re a parent and worried about the kind of exposure your child gets, don’t fret. Parents can also set up controls on their kid’s Steam account.
On Steam, a teenager can also explore their passion for organisation by easily creating ‘collections’ and adding ‘shelves’ for their games in the library. Teenagers who also love discovering new features can sign up for Steam’s beta updates and be at the forefront of an amazing gaming experience. What’s more, popular titles on Steam like CounterStrike and TableTop Simulator have robust modding communities, allowing teenagers to show off their aesthetic and technical skills to the rest of the gaming community.
That’s everything you need to get started with Steam as a teenager. Oh, and if you’re itching to purchase that new title right away, we suggest waiting for Steam’s famous sale and getting it at a deep discount (or deal with the FOMO later).
Want to discuss gaming with fellow gamers? Come hang out at the gaming channel on Yodaa’s Discord server. 🙌
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