Valve has announced Steam Families, a new feature offering account users parental controls, sharing games with family members, and more to improve family gathering dynamics on its digital storefront.
In a blog post, Valve details the new feature that is now available in beta. Steam Families allows users to create a "Steam Family" to invite up to five family members. Some features in Steam Family include members gaining access to the "shareable games" that your loved ones own, which will be a part of a shareable library. Valve notes in the FAQ below the blog that a game developer has complete control over what games are eligible for sharing in Steam Families, which they can toggle in their developer settings.
However, there is a big caveat to point out. As mentioned in the Steam FAQs page, if a family member gets banned for cheating while playing a copy of a game you own, you will also be banned from that game. It is a big thing for some to remember when deciding what loved ones to add to their Steam Families group.
Steam Families also allows parents more autonomy over what their children can buy and play on Steam. Parental controls, as seen in the image above, will enable you to view playtime reports, showing how many hours your child is playing. A feature like this is ideal for parents looking to see how much time their child is playing in a particular game and make a decision on whether or not to set playtime limits.
However, parental controls also extend to features, such as access to what games they can play, recovery of a child's account if they forget their password, and restricting access to things like Steam Store and Friends Chat. Adults in Steam Families will also allow parents to control child purchases; if a child wants to purchase something, they must have an in-family adult pay for the item(s) in the cart.
Of course, the features found in Steam Families are familiar, as Valve previously offered Steam Family View and Family Sharing on its digital storefront. However, the introduction of Steam Families consolidates these features into a single feature with multiple options that approach a more organized way for families to enjoy greater control over a shared virtual gaming library.
Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.
