Digital Download Store Steam Gets 'Family' Section

Valve's PC digital distribution platform, Steam, has rolled out a dedicated section for "family" gaming, offering all-ages, casual and family-friendly games in a single section. The new section, kicking off with a 50 percent discount on featured titles, launches with a list of partnerships with companies like Her Interactive, Sandlot Games and Valusoft. Featured games include the Nancy Drew adventure titles and ValuSoft casual games like Miss Popularity and Mission: Runway, as well as the complete PopCap collection. However, there are also numerous titles on offer popular with the core market that would qualify as all-ages titles, like Plants vs. Zombies, 2D Boy's World of Goo and D3's Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, among numerous others. The Steam platform has historically focused on the core-market PC user, and the launch of a family section is likely an attempt to widen the service's appeal and reach the burgeoning market of adult and casual audiences playing games on their computers.