offworld trading company steam strategy games

Zero, you still privy't trade used digital games for cash or credit, but a new Steamer exchange beta of sorts promises to let you propagate just about anything other. The beta's live at once, and all you have to do to participate is launch the client (both Mac and PC versions are suspended), snap on "Change" low the "Beta Participation" subsection, and opt into the "Steam Trading Exploratory," prompting the customer to pull along down a roughly 38MB update, install, and relaunch.

Thereafter, you'll be able to trade Team up Fortress 2 items and Steam Gifts. The former's a free-to-play first-somebody team shooter that already offers game-related detail trading (As of September 30, 2010), piece the last mentioned involves anything purchased under Steam's "gift" label, including full games (then sesquipedalian as they've not been "unlocked," i.e. added to your game library).

The September 2010 TF2 update, dubbed "the Mann-Conomy update" with its introduction of the Mann Co. Store, added 65 new items to the game, including hats, weapons, miniskirt-games, and tools, as well as the option to buy items directly (via micro-transactions) and trade wind items with other players.

The "Steam Trading Beta" introduces Steam Gifts, and promises "both Trading and Inventories" wish be added to current and future games soon. The Steam Trading Beta FAQ suggests Portal 2 is next up, and "should be within reason before long," with third-party games to follow "in the incoming few months."

If you have ideas for other bits and bobs you'd like to trade via Steam (*cough* used games *cough*) on that point's a feedback forum to complain. Trafficking in secondhand games—a service that's essentially keeping brick and mortar retailers similar GameStop alive—may be a hallowed grail for digital. Determination the right balance to make such a feature financially attractive to gamers equally cured as profitable for service providers care Valve—say via auction houses with transaction fees, transaction surcharges in direct sales and swaps, or whole number exchanges for store credit—is the trick.

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