Steam Launches “Family” Section, Please Don’t Roll Your Eyes

I like how the only ones you mentioned were the Pop Cap games.

CJ Baker

I think it's a great idea. Again, it's just a tagging system and it will probably prove to useful in the future.

@Hungry_Ghost: And everyone has no excuse to enjoy the excellentness of Plants vs Zombies.

Please don't roll your eyes probably should have been first, it was a natural reaction as soon as I read Family Games..

Ah this is as good a place as any to ask. Do games ever get deleted off Steam? Or once they're on, are they forever?

@DrunkAus: They're a store, and labeling shelves. More people will find the product they want if a shelf is labeled "Family". Especially nowadays, where the term "casual", in gaming, often means "cheap crap, and occasionally Peggle".

There is any rule that says that all this casual and family stuff needs to have a really bad taste on visuals and design??...

I think it does because I always see the same kind of crap.

Dag nabbit. No discounted World of Goo?!

Kind of unnecessary... but sales are nice, and I was going to buy some nice casual stuff for playing while sitting on IRC.

searanox

When I saw that red haired woman at the middle of the pic, I thought the Great Giana Sisters would be making a comeback on Steam...

@Yamato: it's horrifically cute

@elevenoverzero:

I thought about this too. I always pictured Steam being a PC gamer thing, and PC gamers tend to be in the hardcore side of the spectrum.

Cpryd001

@Ajh: I completely agree with you, and not just because I am a parent.

I just think "hardcore" gamers are threatened by "family" and "casual" games because they think it somehow makes their favorite hobby less legit.

Yeah there's a lot of crappy "family" games..

But you know there's a lot of crappy FPS's and crappy RPG's and crappy Platformers and crappy sports games, etc etc...

It's like you said , if it's fun....

That's just the most pointless, fucked-up picture I've seen in a long time. What the hell do people think kids' brains can really handle? It's like a still photo of ADD! Kids are gonna look at this at FREAK OUT.

"IWANNAPLAYTHEGAME-GASP-WITHTHEUNICORNAND...!"

My mom really enjoyed Shining Force 2.

Is that gonna be on there?

@BubbleF**kingBuddy: I dun get it.

A "casual" doesn't need to be a "family" game. I wouldn't recommend COD4 to my mom.

salaminizer

@DrunkAus:

I think the created the section so that they could be a bit more broad with the titles they put in it. Spore is sort of a casual game... but 'family game' is a more fair way of describing it.

ReconToaster.

Hmmm... Does anyone know what percentage of Steam users are not Half-Life owners?

I never knew PvZ was a "family" game. Can't imagine 5 year olds getting serious about preparing for the zombie apocalypse.

@DrunkAus:

The target audience wouldn't automagically label themselves as casual, so wouldn't click on the link. Everyone understands the word family, hence the new section.

I wouldn't be surprised if the casual section disappeared after a while.

noboard

@Hungry_Ghost: No, it's only 25% off. It's still a steal at $7.49 though. Go get it if you haven't yet.

Spritz

to late, they where rolling before i reched the end of the sentence

apoc_reg

Other then the fact the new comments sucks ass I am wondering what sucks more.

Kiddie Games or the new comment systems?

Pious_Augustus

Too late *rolls*

@DrunkAus:
They should just make a wii section

GtheMVP99

That makes plants vs zombies 5 bucks right?

@BubbleF**kingBuddy: You should have just edited out the whole post. When your explanation is longer than the joke it goes from funny to pretentious.

trunkenmath

well, the "family" moniker could attract customers to Steam that would otherwise be unaware and it also makes it lots easier for the end user to identify all of the family friendly games. of course, you probably knew this, but as a business move it makes perfect sense. they bothered because they care (to make more money). it's a smart move.

@Zaylex: Cause there weren't casual games before the wii? Oh please, look at your gaming history. Casual games were on the rise before the wii. The Wii just cashed in on them.

edit: removed pre-coffee but still fun insult....>_>

Ajh

There are a lot of gamers with these strange little spawn to take care of called children. They're oddly attached to them, and would like to raise them as gamers too. In addition to things like mario, they find the cutesy strategy of plants vs. zombies to be a wonderful diversion for their six year old child, since they won't let him go to his friends house to pick up hookers in grand theft auto.

To be honest I still have nothing against family games or casual games. If it is fun to play ..then go for it!

Ajh

@Red Teliko Needs Food Badly!: You're right they also need CounterStrike Source to battle out the invasion of terrorist. You can save lives by pressing E on the bomb to defuse it!

i just bought the mumbo jumbo pack. well worth the $20!

cihx

how is plants killing zombies a family game?

@TaylorEatWorld: No I got the joke, hence the first sentence of my post. But thanks anyways for the effort...edit* First 6 words not sentence.

@Zaylex:
Why?

Edit: removed sarcasm.

Esper mind tricks

@BubbleF**kingBuddy: I'm not mad. I despise TF2.

@DrunkAus: Maybe they are trolling? It wouldn't surprise me.

They did it for the nerd rage.

TaylorEatWorld

@Game_Munkee: As opposed to the joke flying 10 feet over your head, it just grazed you by a few inches.

TaylorEatWorld

I don't see Left 4 Dead in that section. Is this implying that Left 4 Dead isn't a great way to use family time as a learning experience? It can teach future generations countless skills they'll need to survive the zombie apocalypse.

It can teach them how to use teamwork and social skills. And it can also teach them valuable lessons about equality and show them that no matter what your social status, race or beliefs are that as long as you help each someone in need, everyone can help each other survive the mass hordes of the undead.

Doesn't Steam already have a genre called 'Casual'? *checks* Yep they do, now why would Peggle and Plants vs Zombies be in the Family section when there is a perfectly good Casual section there?

Just checked the family section again and they both have basically the same games, why bother really?

i dunno bout u but samantha swift is a cutie

Kairetsu

I had missed the deals on some of the games (specifically Plants vs Zombies). This made my day.

(Nevertheless I'm still trying to suppress my temptation, since I still have 10+ never played (or even installed) purchases on Steam).

stikves

I blame the fucking Wii for this.

@BubbleF**kingBuddy:
Yep, the internet sucks sometimes :)

@BubbleF**kingBuddy: No offence taken on the casual, but how would Team fortress 2 end up on a family title list? I think theres just too many people chunks involved to justify letting the kiddies play.

EDIT: Nevermind

@BubbleF**kingBuddy: You might want to check your windows in the next few minutes to see if anyone has thrown bricks through them =)

Family, what is family?

As a serious HARDCOREGAMER I don't even have the time to understand the concept of a "family".

Perfectnumpty

Is this where the casual games like Peggle and Team Fortress 2 will end up?

(As I thought of this joke, I wondered: would anyone really get mad at this? Then I remembered: internet. So now I have to add this addendum that ruins the joke, all because a few of you [you know who you are] take offense to the word "casual".)

Damn you Valve, Damn it all to hell.

eatsleepdie

I was wondering why the Steam frontpage has been crowded lately with a flood of cheap, no-name, casual games. There should really be an option to block games in this category from appearing.