Cards are Fun
I'm willing to sit at my computer for hours on end clicking links just to earn a few pennies every 30 seconds or so. Steam Trading Cards has proved to be one of the most addictive new features in the gaming world, whether you're purchasing and trading cards to craft badges for your favorite game or searching through the community for a recently added Steam Trading Card that is well under market value to resale and secure more Steam Wallet funds. I'm currently addicted to the point that when asked what my favorite game is, I will reply, "Steam Trading Cards." Steam Trading Cards appear to be one of the biggest new additions to the video game industry, and I can't wait to begin buying and selling virtual cards on my Xbox One once Microsoft inevitably adds this new feature as well.
Oh No, Another Good Deal!
Sometimes I purchase games because they are fun. Then other times, they are just really, really cheap. Steam's Summer Sales is the perfect attraction for this type of addiction. The constant barrage of Flash Sales and Daily Deals is almost more than my heart and wallet can handle. Gamers can even vote for the next sale they'd like to see featured during the promotion as if there already weren't enough great deals to choose from. If I want a game but never had enough money, I do now. If I was interested in purchasing a game but could never convince myself to do so, I did. If I wanted a game but my current computer wasn't powerful enough to play the game on, well I will get a better one in the future. These are many of the conclusions that I, and so many gamers have come to during the Steam Summer Getaway Sale, and now I think it may be time to look for another Summer Job!
Games Don't Need to be Pretty or Expensive to be Amazing
Not everyone can afford a top of the line gaming computer with the most advanced graphics card, processor and other important pieces of hardware included. However, most gamers can probably afford to pick up a copy of Hotline Miami, The Binding of Isaac, Final Fantasy VII, Scribblenauts Unlimited and many of the other games offered for less than $10 during the Steam Summer Getaway Sale that don't require the best hardware to play and enjoy. One of my most enjoyable purchases I made during the Steam Summer Getaway Sale was the classic title Final Fantasy VII, and though the game looks worse than I remember, the game is still a fantastic play with all new features including Cloud Saving and quicker loading and saving times. The other games mentioned are also playable on the base packages of most modern computers and still offer hours of incredibly fun gameplay, thought there is clearly a difference in details when bashing a man's skull in with a bat in Hotline Miami and The Last of Us.
Steam Users Say the Darndest Things
Another great part of the Steam Summer Getaway Sale came from watching new YouTube videos or searching online websites such as Reddit for new gaming videos and memes. Whether you find people that have paid outrageous amounts of money to add new games to their collection, find hilarious videos about discounted prices, Gabe Newell, empty wallets and other entities associated with the Steam Summer Getaway Sale or just find images of people stating some sad, but true, facts about gamers during the sale, there is always some great content to find during the weeks of the promotion. Gamers can often be a critical bunch, but at least it is all in good spirits, and they can poke fun at themselves for a good laugh as well.
All Good Things Must Come to an End
One of the saddest realizations in the video game industry is the Steam Summer Getaway Sale is just that. Once the Summer promotion is over, we must all return to the real world where console wars plague comment sections, everybody is still waiting for the release of Grand Theft Auto V and games are really expensive. Steam's Summer Sales are, coincidentally, really good for letting off some steam. It's really nice to be able to go and purchase all the games you've wanted to play over the last several months but never had the funds to purchase all while finding some new friends and even finding new hobbies with in-game economics. Still, too much of a good thing could ruin its impact on the gaming community and possibly single-handedly destroy one of gaming's most popular and lucrative platforms in this scenario, so it's with a heavy heart that we say farewell to the Steam Summer Sale until next year.
