Steam comes to Linux

Linux has frequently been viewed as a second-rate desktop gaming platform. While Linux has a number of compelling open-source games, including the 3D kart racer, SuperTuxKart, and the turn-based strategy game, Battle For Wesnoth, the number of quality native Linux games with high production values has been small for a long time. With the relatively low install base of Linux, and its fragmentation into multiple distributions, one could understand why game developers not otherwise familiar with desktop Linux would be hesitant to develop for the platform. But that has changed with the advent of Steam for Linux.

A bit of history

Things started getting better in May 2010, when the first Humble Indie Bundle was unleashed. Gamers could pay what they wanted (including setting aside any portion of that money they'd like for charity) to download a group of DRM-free copies of high-quality video games made by independent developers or development teams. These games, and most games in the many Humble Indie Bundles to come, included support for Linux, as well as Windows and Mac OS X. With Linux purchasers of the first Humble Indie Bundle voluntarily paying more for the bundle than the Windows or Mac OS X gamers paid, there was suddenly hard evidence that Linux might be a profitable platform for game developers.

The Humble Indie Bundles, then, effectively paved the way for increased interest in Linux from the major players in the video game industry—those making the games with the highest production values and largest budgets on the planet, also known as "AAA" games. For personal computer gamers, the biggest gorilla in the jungle is Valve, which not only makes highly acclaimed and widely popular games, but also owns Steam. Steam is a proprietary software distribution platform with over 3,000 games (as well as some non-game software), most developed by third parties, and an estimated 75% of the worldwide market for PC gaming.

With development of a Steam for Linux client officially announced in 2012, and a stable release in early 2013, the biggest commercial player in desktop gaming effectively announced to game developers worldwide that it thinks Linux is part of the future of desktop gaming. Steam also recently concluded a Summer Sale, which had many Linux games available at a steep discount. All of that adds up to a good time for a detailed look at Steam for Linux.

Steam for Linux

Initially available for Ubuntu only, Steam for Linux is now available for download for almost any recent Linux distribution. System requirements for the client itself are fairly light, with the biggest hurdle being graphics card support; at least Intel HD 3000 integrated graphics is needed, though having an AMD or NVIDIA card will let one play more games—using the binary drivers will give one access to even more. Individual games on Steam have their own system requirements (example), and while many need something more powerful, like a recent NVIDIA card using the binary driver, there are lots of quality games (including fairly recent AAA games) available for someone with integrated graphics and open-source drivers.

Before installing the software, the user must agree to the EULA. The user then creates an account, which is no more difficult than making, say, a new Gmail account. When Steam launches, the user is greeted with the storefront to find games to buy. Linux gamers can choose to browse by platform, where they can find hundreds of games available for Linux.

Steam comes with a number of conveniences for gamers. Aside from the integrated store, it acts as a library, neatly organizing a player's games. Some games also feature "cloud saving" to allow gameplay to continue on one computer from where a player left off on another. Steam automates and simplifies game updates, providing bug fixes and new features. It also provides social networking features to connect with friends on the service and to find players for multiplayer games.

Linux gamers on a tight budget and with fairly low-end graphics can find a lot of high-quality entertainment at no cost. A great starting point, for those unsure where to begin, is Valve's own Team Fortress 2, a wildly popular and critically acclaimed first-person shooter. It has a comical but high-quality graphical style with nine different playable classes to suit a variety of different playing styles.

Those who like stealth games can choose the Spy, who uses a cloaking device, disguises, and a knife to sneak up on and assassinate opposing players. Those with a more strategic bent can play as the Engineer, who can build a Sentry gun for offensive or defensive purposes, or build a number of supporting buildings to assist teammates. Those interested in simply running straight into the fray—guns blazing—can pick the minigun-toting Heavy, with the highest maximum health among the different classes and a devastating default weapon.

Team Fortress 2 works with relatively modest graphics processing, and is free-to-play, with a completely unintrusive and optional microtransaction system; I've logged 16 hours of game time, so far, without spending a penny, and I've loved every minute of it. Gamers can purchase cosmetic items for their characters, like hats, as well as alternate weapons. Many of these items are also given to players automatically for free after completing certain tasks, so budget players don't feel like they're deprived of all of the fun the game has to offer.

Another free-to-play game with optional, non-game-breaking microtransactions is Dota 2. It is currently the most popular multiplayer online battle arena game in the world, with millions of players and millions of dollars in cash prizes available for winners of official tournaments. Those interested in single-player gaming can try Floating Point, a free and relaxing "physics" game, where your character swings from a grappling hook to collect points in a procedurally generated 3D environment accompanied by great ambient music.

While there are some open-source games targeting the platform, such as Narcissu 1st & 2nd, the overwhelming majority of games are closed-source. Interestingly, the open-source Krita painting program has a release on Steam, but only for Windows. Steam users can buy Krita Gemini, which is based on the regular Krita desktop program, but adds a touch-friendly interface for tablets and uses Steam's convenient automatic updating functionality. $49.99 buys upgrades through to version 3.0 (roughly a year of upgrades) or lifetime upgrades are available for $119.99.

The future

With Linux users only making up 1.20% of Steam's user base (click on "OS Version"), compared to Windows gamers making up 95.04% of Valve's customers, some might be wondering what Valve is thinking. Valve is playing a long-term game here, guarding against what it perceives to be Microsoft's alienation of its users due to Windows 8, as well as the global decline in PC sales. By focusing on an open-source platform that they can control, Valve can pivot to protect itself from these market conditions. Following the July 2012 announcement of the development of Steam for Linux, Valve co-founder Gabe Newell made clear that he sees Linux as the company's future: "We want to make it as easy as possible for the 2,500 games on Steam to run on Linux as well. It's a hedging strategy. I think Windows 8 is a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space."

This is where SteamOS, and the Steam Machines it will run on, come into the picture. Based on Debian, SteamOS is a full desktop Linux operating system that launches by default into Steam's Big Picture mode, which is a user interface for Steam optimized for television sets. Currently, SteamOS is in beta; it will launch later this year on various Steam Machines—multiple video game console hardware platforms made by different manufacturers.

SteamOS gives Valve much greater control over the Steam platform's future. Steam Machines would also expand Valve's target market to "living room" gamers. As only native Linux games will work on SteamOS and Steam Machines, Valve needs its games to work on desktop Linux and needs third-party developers to release native Linux games on Steam. Hence the big push for Steam on Linux first, and then the focus on SteamOS and Steam Machines.

DRM and privacy

Perhaps the biggest concerns with Steam on Linux, aside from the flood of proprietary games that have concerned some free-software hardliners, are Digital Rights Management (DRM) and privacy. By default, Steam is online; users must authenticate before activating "Offline Mode" to be able to play indefinitely without an Internet connection. On top of that, Steam offers third-parties the option to use its DRM technology through its Steamworks API. This optional DRM includes "Custom Executable Generation", which ties a game copy to a particular account. Validating these executables does not rely on authenticating the hardware itself, so users would be free to play the game on any supporting computer, as long as they can log in to their account.

Valve also offers optional encryption to allow pre-ordering users to download the game before release date, but to prohibit them from playing until that day. Steamworks also provides hooks for third-party DRM integration, so some games have stricter restrictions on their players.

Steam's own DRM measures remain fairly light for an industry notorious for aggressive DRM. But others have been concerned about privacy for Steam users; the Valve privacy policy contains broad language allowing Valve considerable leeway with its use of personal information. For example: "Personally identifiable information is used internally by Valve to develop, deliver and improve our products, content and services." The most visible user-facing issue here is the Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC) software that runs in the Steam client and aims to detect cheaters in certain multiplayer games and ban them from Steam.

In March 2014, there were allegations on Reddit that VAC was sending its users' entire DNS cache to Valve. After some fury and concern by video game players, Newell responded by explaining clearly what VAC was doing. While that response may have dispelled the rumors, the explanation, combined with the privacy policy, may be enough to deter some potential users. One notable line from his post explains why VAC can be unnerving: "VAC is inherently a scary looking piece of software, because it is trying to be obscure, it is going after code that is trying to attack it, and it is sneaky."

Those concerns aside, in less than two years, Steam has already had a major and, arguably, positive effect on desktop Linux. Valve has put some of its considerable resources into improving the open-source graphics stack, including its financial backing of experimental development work on Mesa. But perhaps the most substantial effect is the positive perception that gamers on other platforms will be getting of Linux. With hundreds of games available, and more in development, ranging from independent, experimental games to some of the best that the AAA world has to offer, desktop Linux has finally cleared one major hurdle to widespread adoption: availability of quality video games.