Steam Family Sharing beta: What it is, how it works, and why people are unhappy with it

GameZone's Mike Splechta writes, "When put into perspective, the Family Sharing program is actually a rather genius way to essentially let your family or friends 'borrow' a game in your Steam library, without you needing to give up your login credentials each time and thus being kicked out of your account. It does come with certain caveats, and not everyone is keen on how the program works, but the foundation Valve has laid out is certainly a welcome one."

[Giru017]

It's a nice concept, of course it needs tweaking and working, but having it is better than not having it.

Valve has, for the most part, been very attentive towards feedback and I'm sure most quirks will be ironed out. The problem is that most people want ZOMG FREE GAMEZ when that isn't the idea or purpose behind this. Steam is cheap enough as it is, but people always feel their entitled to free PC games since "I could just pirate it".

[Cueil]

no... no one feels entitled to free games unless they are mentally unstable

[zippycup]

woo hoo so i get free games then

[Giru017]

And yet, look no further than Steam Message boards on the subject for exactly those kind of complaints... Or on Sony side when they limited the game sharing functionality, which let 5 people share accounts and for all intents and purposes required games, online passes or DLC to only be bought once for 5 people to get access.

It's sad that when a company makes decisions that benefit and empower us, the gamers, people always look for loopholes so they can get more than they should out of it.

[Cueil]

yes... I visit those boards and I stick by what I say...

[PLASTICA-MAN]

I am not happy with it an this is why: https://www.change.org/peti...

Please sign it, the more, the better.

[nukeitall]

I think this highlights the massive job MS had in explaining to the masses what they were doing with the original vision of Xbox One.

Just look at Valve, one of the most loved game company in the world is getting essentially lambasted by their user. Why?

Because users had a different expectation than how the feature work in reality!

Remember, user expectation is a dangerous beast!

[4logpc]

they are upset because they thought they would be able to just play and give free games to everyone. If you dont trust the person enough to give them your name and password, then they shouldnt be on your list.