Yesterday Valve announced a new feature for their popular digital platform Steam, virtual trading cards. With this addition, people using the online game service soon can collect and trade cards featuring various illustrations from popular game titles. In addition, the implementation of these cards also coincide with various new features being added to Steam, such as allowing users to customize their  community profiles and gain specific emoticons for the software’s chat system.
While the system is still in its beta, Valve is actively adding new participants every few days. The cards themselves are simply gained by playing games on Steam and are used to earn badges. Players who earn these badges are rewarded with various goodies such as profile backgrounds and coupons for other games.
Another big feature being added is the Steam level system. Profiles are now given a number based on how much the person has invested into the community. Earning badges on Steam nets you experience points which increases your level. The higher your level is the more customization options you are rewarded with along with an increased capacity for your friends list. Currently, Valve has said that there is only a few ways to earn badges to increase your Steam level but they plan to add additional methods as they continue the beta.
The current games that implement the new card system are:
- Counter Strike: Global Offensive
- Team Fortress 2
- Dota 2
- Portal 2
- Half-Life 2
- Don’t Starve
While this list is fairly small, Valve has pledged to add additional games as the system progresses. If you are interested in experiencing Steam’s newest additions early, sign up for free here.
Published: May 16, 2013 02:02 pm