Steam for Mac – The Future of Mac Gaming?

Last week, the team at Steam released a Mac client for their popular gaming service. This is big news, and not just for Steam itself; Steam represents Mac OS X’s best chance of becoming a viable gaming platform.

For years, Mac gaming has been primarily focused on iPhone OS devices. A large percentage of App Store sales are for games, and the iPod Touch (and now iPad) is being pushed as a competitor to the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP. The Mac desktop, however, was largely neglected. Big PC releases would find their way to Mac months or years later, after an intermediary company had ported the Windows version. Often, these ports had their own quirks and bugs. The Mac was never a first-class gaming citizen.

Steam just might change that, however. For those unfamiliar with Steam, it’s essentially an iTunes for gaming. Users create a Steam account that, through the Steam client software, offers a store for downloadable games, tracks purchases, and installs and updates purchased games. Steam games can even be launched through the client, making it a one-stop solution for gaming.

What really makes Steam special, though, is the amount of support they’ve received from game publishers. Steam offers its own DRM, with periodic online verification. The entire system is tied to a Steam account and handled in a transparent manner – users never have to enter a serial number or install game-specific, system-altering DRM software. As a result, big-name releases are often available for download through Steam on the same day as their retail release.

Since Steam has been so well-received by Windows users, the release of a Mac Steam client could signal the beginning of a major shift in Mac gaming. Publishers finally have an incentive to release Mac versions of their games, since a proven distribution system is now in place for end users to buy them. Mac market share is steadily growing, and if Steam makes the Mac a viable target for game publishers, Windows will lose yet another competitive advantage.