Former Valve writer Chet Faliszek explained that Gabe Newell originally viewed Steam as a sort of MMO. The platform was designed not just as a standard game store, but as a dedicated space for user interaction and digital identity creation.

Features like trading cards, badges, profile levels, awards, and the marketplace allow players to express themselves fully within the ecosystem. Faliszek stated that these community and self-expression features make Steam much more than a conventional storefront.

“There are plenty of places where you can express yourself,” Chet Faliszek said.

He added that competing storefronts, such as the Epic Games Store, currently lag behind in this aspect because their tools require significantly more effort from users to achieve similar engagement.