Valve seems to be engaged on a brand new characteristic for Steam that can allow you to mark particular person video games as “personal,” which is able to allow you to maintain your profile public whereas stopping all your mates from understanding simply how a lot time you spend enjoying Sexy Housewives Booty Name Blackmail. (Or, you recognize, no matter.)
At present, the privateness choices on Steam are restricted: You possibly can set your profile, or particular person elements of it (sport particulars, mates record, and stock), to public, mates solely, or personal. That gives some management over what the remainder of the Steam universe can learn about you, but it surely’s an all-or-nothing resolution that lacks flexibility.
The addition of a per-game privateness choice, noticed and shared on Twitter by SteamDB creator Pavel Djundik, guarantees to go a great distance towards addressing that shortcoming. Steam customers will have the ability to mark particular person video games as “personal,” which is able to maintain different Steam customers—even their mates—from seeing it.
Let’s be sincere with one another right here: It isn’t exhausting to place collectively why Steam customers would need this characteristic. Sure, you would possibly wish to maintain quiet the truth that you have poured 2,960 hours into Future 2: That is the form of dedication which may give concern to mates and well being care professionals, in any case.
However I’d suspect that Valve’s embrace of hardcore intercourse video games is probably going a bigger issue. It is nice to have the liberty to indulge as you want (so long as you are of acceptable age, in fact) but it surely’s not essentially one thing you need marketed to the world at giant—and even your on-line gaming buddies.
In my case, as an illustration, I typically recall that I’ve a sport known as Boobs Battleground in my Steam library and suppose, yeah, perhaps I ought to do one thing about that. I do not thoughts bringing it up right here as a result of, consider it or not, I acquired it years in the past for work functions (I do know that sounds ridiculous, but it surely’s true) however a brand new Steam pal who would not know which may discover it and have second ideas about including me to their mates record.
The “mark as personal” choice is not at the moment obtainable within the Steam shopper beta, and it isn’t a positive factor it will likely be launched in any respect. However with the ability to maintain your profile public, to make the most of Steam companies like buying and selling or social options, whereas excluding particular person video games (of any type!) from public view appears to me like a no brainer, particularly now that the platform is open to grownup content material. I’ve reached out to Valve for remark and can replace if I obtain a reply.