If you're a Mac gamer, you've no doubt grown accustom to buying and playing games through Valve's ever-popular service. Sure, the Mac App Store has a decent selection of games, but it's hard to beat the fine array of great titles -- and community interaction -- of Steam. This afternoon, Valve has officially launched a number of new features designed to help game fans get more social.
The Steam Community Update is now available to the public, after a recent round of beta testing. The new features essentially break down into four parts.
First -- and perhaps most exciting -- is the introduction of Game Hubs. The community gathering points provide a place for fans of a particular game or franchise to swap screenshots, videos, news, or just chat about a title, like Team Fortress 2. It's actually really nice to see information directly related to your interests, without having to surf a larger forum.
Groups have played a role in the Steam community for quite some time. But the new update alters the layout into a more user-friendly design, and turns the group's internal discussion posts into something more like a sub-forum.
Over the years, Steam users have taken over 80 million in-game screenshots; that's a whole lot of content. If you're looking to streamline your content so both you and your friends can find the stuff you upload (including new Steam Workshop items), Valve has organized all of your content onto your personal profile page.
Lastly, it's much easier to keep track of your Steam buddies with the Community Update. Clicking on the "friends" tab in the client opens a sort of news-stream, with updates on what your pals are doing. You can also make status updates, and apply nicknames to friends' profiles. A bit Facebook-ish, for sure, but there's nothing wrong with doing something that works.
The Community Update is live right now, and all you'll need to do to access its features is update the client on your Mac. And while you're at it, be sure to check out Steam's new Greenlight page. If you're in the mood for discovering and supporting indie developers, it's really great.
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