We take it absolutely for granted these days the convenience Steam affords us. And the start of the digital PC gaming era hits a milestone today as the Valve service celebrates two decades.
According to Wikipedia, the initial release of Steam occurred on September 12, 2003, which is exactly twenty years ago. Since then, others have followed suit in helping us move towards video games as digital media in the age of the Internet.
It would be interesting to see what the site looked like back then. Unfortunately, the data from Wayback Machine only goes back to 2007. However, even then, Steam was not quite the powerhouse we know it today.
CD manufacturers hate this one trick
If you look at the website from the first snapshot on Wayback (May 17, 2007), you can see how different it is from what we’re used to seeing, showing how many websites looked back then.
Ignoring the fact that images are now missing, the olive green is a far cry from the dark blue theme that would become synonymous with the gaming client.
You’ll also notice paraphernalia for Half-Life 2, because that’s pretty much how Steam started out. It was originally a way for Valve to digitally distribute its own games. Within a few years, it became the market leader in online digital storefronts.
It wasn’t well-received at first, but that’s all in the past now. Steam is easily the most popular method for downloading and playing PC games these days. Alternatives like GOG and Epic Games Store may owe a debt of gratitude to Gabe Newell and his team, who pretty much just wanted to offer a more convenient way of updating Counter-Strike.
