Steam's Game Explosion: A Double-Edged Sword

More games have been released on Steam in the last four years than in the previous

fifteen years combined. Seriously. The number of games on the platform nearly doubled between

2020 and 2024, jumping from about 9,600 to over 18,600. So, what's going on?

Valve has made it incredibly easy to publish. As long as you have a hundred bucks,

you can pretty much get your game on the storefront. This has caused a massive boom,

especially from indie developers. You know all those goofy, casual co-op games

you play with your friends? They're a huge reason for this explosion. For casual gamers,

it's a paradise of endless new content. But some argue it's turning games into disposable products