Steam to be available as an Ebsco-like e-game lending service?
Philip Minchin, Euchronic Games
Just before Christmas, I posted a pair of pieces to Liz Danforth's Library Journal blog as a guest post, and to my (very sporadic) Gamasutra blog, floating the idea of Steam as pretty much only needing some basic LMS integration to be a e-lending platform similar to Ebsco. (Only cooler and with better UI, and obviously lending PC games instead of e-books/e-audiobooks.)
I ended by inviting both game devs and librarians to comment as to whether they liked the idea, as this will help me make the case to Valve that they should consider doing this.
I've had one very enthusiastic comment on Liz's blog (thanks Danielle!), but only one.
On Gamasutra, I got the post featured on the front page of the site (thanks Gamasutra eds!), but after that I've only had some slightly non-comprehending responses from game devs who don't quite get how libraries work with e-lending, and one guy whom I suspect of actively trolling.
I'm sorry to seek attention, but it's not for my own sake - this is an idea that could happen relatively easily and could be a huge boon for games in libraries. I'd hate it to get lost in the usual Christmas kerfuffle. Steam's collection is pretty high-quality and using their client in Wavesound-like ways would instantly resolve all the issues we're having here in Australia managing licenses/keys/etc for PC games - which are effectively preventing us from lending them. Given how much cool stuff happens on PC, this sucks. It would also make it easier to justify having Steam clients on in-library PCs... which would make, for example, network tournaments that much easier.
So I ask all of you: if you like the idea of being able to authorise borrowers to try Steam games like ebooks, go read/comment on the posts - both of them preferably - and say so.
And if you have game dev friends, or other library friends who would be interested, please get them to comment too.
I'm really hoping to go to Valve in the coming year to argue this case - it will be much more effective if I have your support.
Thanks for your time and attention, and Happy New Year!
Phil
PS I know I've said it plenty in private, but Ms Danforth: thanks again for the support, the conversation and the fierce appreciation of how good games can be. Fingers crossed!
thoma...@rivlib.net
-----Original Message-----
From: "Philip Minchin, Euchronic Games" <euch...@gmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 28, 2011 7:57am
To: libg...@googlegroups.com
Subject: {LibGaming} Steam to be available as an Ebsco-like e-game lending service?
Hi folks,
Just before Christmas, I posted a pair of pieces to Liz Danforth's *Library
Journal* blog<http://blog.libraryjournal.com/gamesgamersgaming/2011/12/19/a-christmas-wish/>as
a guest post, and to my
(very sporadic) Gamasutra
blog<http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/PhilipMinchin/20111219/9129/Steampowered_libraries_anyone.php>,
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