Starfield and The Steam Issue

 

Steam: The King of PC Games

Steam is the premier site for any PC gamer and has been that way for many years now. I remember when I was younger that PC games used to be more much physical in their contents. There were entire store shelves that were devoted to video games. Now, you are lucky to even find a place that sells physical PC games other than Walmart, Target or Gamestop. However, Gamestop has generally moved away from selling PC games and focuses on the console market. Because of this move away from physical sales towards sales on the internet, the industry is becoming more diverse in some ways, allowing for more variety in our video games. This isn't to say that there wasn't diversity before, but there is more ability for small companies to make money on video games that are not so traditional in their styles.

 Starfield has been released into the public's hands in an era where Steam is the main way that people buy PC games on the internet. As such, the reviews on Steam are going to be incredibly important in influencing how people think about the game, even if it is only PC gamers.

Before the internet was really all that popular, buying video games could be hit or miss. This is why gaming magazines were so important as they were the only window that people had to understand whether a game was worth their time. Other than being industry insider, this was the only way to really to know about a game before release. After release, word of mouth was important as well as advertising on television and also reviews in magazines.

However, with the importance of the internet growing, internet sites and distribution areas such as Steam are important in how people review video games. Starfield is going to prosper or be a failure if its review scores go in any direction.

The History of Starfield's Steam Score

Starfield was released on early access on August 31, 2023. I was one of the original players who started playing after the initial influencers began releasing their gameplay onto YouTube. Most of such videos that were being released at that time were generally praising the game or criticizing it. There was also a subset of videos that were interested in revealing the many features in the game. However, as time has gone on, the Starfield Steam review score has gotten more negative. It is an unfortunate aspect of video game releases today that such games are getting so much criticism. The Starfield subreddit on Reddit, a generally highly biased and opiniated website, is often showing this criticism again ever couple of weeks. I have grown to ignore this score as I go back to the experience of Cyberpunk 2077, which had tons of criticism at its release. However, that game has been getting more and more positive ratings from players because it of how the developer has been trying to get the game into a playable state. 

Starfield's steam score is going to change once Bethesda begins releasing Shattered Space and implementing more updates. The new reviews are going to be made by a new influx of players who are not just going to rating the game based on their old experiences. Starfield is currently getting swamped with players who simply want to hate on the game. It is a game that has many moving parts to it that need more time to grow on players. I believe that the steam score will increase and will show that the game has its fanbase that will grow to love it just as they did with the previous Bethesda titles.

Steam Scores are not everything.

It is important to remember that many things on the internet are generally the product of a particularly active users who are very extroverted and are not interested in the opinions of others. This is why the internet seems to be full of people who are generally very angry and wanting to insult others. The same goes for Steam reviews. I think that it is very interesting how Steam reviews are put on pedestal but the Xbox players seem to be ignored by the players.

I think that players should try to experience the game for what it is rather than what they want it to be. They should try the game out and form what they think about it. Hopefully as time goes on, Bethesda is able to address many of these issues that these players have and also fulfill the needs of the people support the game. Through this way, they can attempt to improve the game but not alter it too much as to alienate the people who enjoyed game. Steam is not an all-inclusive look at how well a game sells in the marketplace. It's only an estimate and cooler heads should understand that disagree with. 

Starfield is a great game, no matter what Steam says.

 People are entitled to their opinion, but I would wish that people stop piling on the game just because they think it is a Bethesda game. These types of games are really special and they take large amounts of capital to make. People have to understand that video games are really a very tough and complex art that requires alot of work from many people. This game is not easy to make but one can see that it was a labor of love. Todd Howard has much to proud of with this game. In a time in America where it seems that mediocrity is more important to us as a society than actually achieving something. I think that Starfield is a game that deserves more respect. It is not perfect but I think that this is a game that needs to be supported more. While Starfield may only be a game, it is an important aspect of our culture that inspires us to truly wonder about the opportunities in space. That is why I continue to support this game.