How to Level Up Your Steam Account: The Ultimate Guide to XP & Badges
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How to Level Up Your Steam Account: The Ultimate Guide to XP & Badges
Alright, listen up, fellow gamers. If you’re anything like me, you probably started your Steam journey just wanting to play some games. That’s it. You installed it, bought your first title, and dove headfirst into digital worlds. But then, slowly, subtly, you started noticing things. Numbers on profiles. Shiny badges. Friends with levels that seemed impossibly high, their profiles adorned with more showcases than a museum. And that’s when it hits you: Steam isn’t just a game launcher anymore. It’s a social platform, a digital identity, and for many of us, a personal quest to reach new heights.
I remember when I first realized this. I was casually browsing a friend’s profile, probably trying to see what game they were currently obsessed with, and there it was: Level 200. My jaw practically hit the floor. I was probably sitting pretty at a humble Level 10, maybe 15 if I’d been particularly active that week. It felt like stumbling upon a secret society, a part of Steam I hadn’t even known existed. Suddenly, my simple profile felt… bare. Unfinished. And that, my friends, is usually the spark that ignites the desire to level up your Steam account. It’s more than just a number; it’s a journey, a reflection of your dedication to the platform, and, dare I say, a little bit of a flex within the gaming community. This isn't just about accumulating points; it's about mastering the Steam ecosystem, understanding its quirks, and ultimately, making your digital presence truly shine.
Understanding Steam Levels and XP
Before we dive headfirst into the nitty-gritty of accumulating experience points like a digital hoarder, let's take a moment to really grasp what we're talking about here. Steam levels and XP aren't just arbitrary metrics; they're the foundational elements of a system designed to reward engagement, participation, and a certain degree of strategic thinking within the vast Steam universe. Think of it like an RPG, but instead of slaying dragons, you're crafting badges and navigating market trends. It’s a meta-game layered on top of all the games you already love, and once you start seeing it that way, the whole process becomes incredibly addictive.
This section is crucial because it sets the stage for everything that follows. Without a solid understanding of the 'what' and 'why,' the 'how' becomes just a series of disconnected actions. We’re going to demystify the system, explain its purpose, and get you in the right mindset to embark on your leveling journey. Trust me, once you understand the underlying mechanics, you'll approach your Steam account with a whole new perspective, seeing opportunities where you once saw just a collection of digital items.
What are Steam Levels?
At its core, a Steam Level is a numerical representation of your overall engagement and investment in the Steam platform. It’s that prominent number displayed right next to your username on your profile, often encased in a distinctive badge that changes appearance as you ascend through different level tiers. When you visit someone's Steam profile, one of the first things your eyes are likely to gravitate towards, after their chosen avatar and custom background, is that level number. It's a quick, at-a-glance status indicator, a silent testament to how much time, effort, and sometimes, even money, someone has dedicated to their Steam persona.
Visually, these levels are quite appealing. You start at Level 0 (or 1, depending on how you look at it), and as you gain XP, you progress. Every ten levels, the border around your level number often changes, becoming more intricate, more detailed, and generally, just more impressive. It’s a subtle but effective visual cue that signals progression, much like the changing armor sets in an RPG. This visual representation isn't just for show, though. It acts as a kind of digital business card, immediately conveying a certain level of experience and perhaps even credibility within the community. A Level 300 player isn't just someone who plays games; they're someone who understands Steam.
Beyond the aesthetics, Steam levels serve as a public record of your journey. They track your cumulative efforts across various aspects of the platform, from the games you own and play to your participation in community events and your mastery of the trading card system. It's a persistent, evolving metric that tells a story, albeit a numerical one, about your time spent in the Steam ecosystem. For new players, it's a goal; for veterans, it's a badge of honor. It’s a fundamental piece of your digital identity on Steam, and understanding its significance is the first step towards truly embracing the leveling process.
Ultimately, while the level itself is just a number, its visual prominence and the effort required to increase it imbue it with a certain social currency. It’s a conversation starter, a point of pride, and a silent nod to other seasoned users that you’re not just passing through; you’re an integral part of this digital world. It’s like having a high rank in a competitive game, but instead of showing off your K/D ratio, you're showcasing your dedication to the platform itself. And for many, including myself, that’s a powerful motivator.
Why Level Up Your Steam Account?
So, why bother? Why spend your precious gaming time chasing after experience points and digital trinkets when you could be, you know, actually playing games? This is a question I’ve heard countless times, and honestly, it’s a valid one. But the truth is, leveling up your Steam account offers a surprising array of practical benefits that genuinely enhance your overall Steam experience, alongside some less tangible but equally important social advantages. It’s not just about bragging rights, though those are definitely a perk.
One of the most immediate and universally appreciated benefits is the increased friend list capacity. Seriously, this one is huge. When you start out, your friend limit is fairly restrictive. As you level up, however, your friend slot capacity expands by five slots for every level you gain. Think about it: if you’re a social gamer, involved in multiple communities, or just have a lot of buddies you want to connect with, hitting that friend limit can be a real pain. Leveling up alleviates this bottleneck, allowing you to seamlessly connect with more players, join more groups, and generally expand your network without constantly having to prune your existing list. It’s a quality-of-life improvement that becomes increasingly valuable the deeper you dive into Steam’s social features.
Beyond friend slots, reaching higher levels unlocks additional profile showcase slots. This is where the real customization and personality come into play. Initially, your profile is pretty bare-bones, offering limited space to display your achievements, favorite games, or custom text. But as your level increases, you gain access to more showcase options, allowing you to proudly exhibit things like your rare game collection, the coolest screenshots you’ve taken, your favorite workshop items, or even a custom info box about yourself. Want to show off your rarest badges or your perfect game achievements? You'll need those extra slots. These showcases transform your profile from a generic page into a personalized gallery, a true reflection of your gaming identity. They’re a fantastic way to express yourself and make your profile stand out from the crowd.
Then there's the often-overlooked but incredibly valuable benefit of higher booster pack drop rates. Booster packs are bundles of three random trading cards for a specific game, and they are a goldmine for leveling up. Steam periodically grants booster packs to eligible players, and the chance of receiving one significantly increases with your Steam level. Specifically, for every 10 levels you gain, your drop rate increases by 20%. So, at Level 10, you have a 20% increased chance; at Level 20, it's 40%; at Level 100, you're looking at a 200% increased chance! This means more free trading cards, which directly translates to more badges crafted, and more XP gained without spending a dime. It's a self-perpetuating cycle of leveling up that rewards your dedication.
Pro-Tip: The Booster Pack Sweet Spot
While every 10 levels boosts your booster pack drop rate, many experienced traders and levelers find that reaching Level 50 or 100 offers a noticeable increase in pack frequency. Don't underestimate the passive income (or XP) these packs can generate! They are randomly distributed based on game ownership and activity, so the higher your level, the better your odds.
Finally, there’s the aspect of perceived credibility within the community. While it might sound superficial, a higher Steam level often signals experience, trustworthiness, and a deep understanding of the platform. If you're looking to trade items, participate in discussions, or even apply for moderator roles in Steam groups, a high level can subtly influence how others perceive you. It suggests you're not a fly-by-night account, but a dedicated member of the community. It’s a silent badge of honor that commands a certain level of respect, and in a digital world teeming with anonymous users, that can be surprisingly valuable. It’s a testament to your long-term engagement and often translates into more positive interactions.
How Steam XP is Earned
Alright, so you’re convinced. You want to ascend the Steam level ladder. But how, exactly, does one acquire this elusive "experience point" currency? Unlike traditional RPGs where you slay monsters or complete quests, Steam XP is primarily earned through a very specific set of actions, predominantly revolving around the collection and crafting of digital items. It's a system that, once understood, becomes surprisingly straightforward, albeit sometimes a little grindy, which is perfectly fine for us seasoned gamers, right? We live for the grind!
The vast majority of the XP you’ll ever earn on Steam comes from badge crafting. This is the absolute cornerstone of the leveling system, the bread and butter, the main event. What are badges? Well, think of them as digital trophies you earn by collecting a full set of trading cards for a specific game. Every time you complete a set and craft a badge, you are instantly rewarded with 100 XP. It's a clear, consistent, and repeatable method, which makes it the most efficient way to climb those levels. This means that your primary focus, if you’re serious about leveling up, will be on acquiring and organizing trading cards from the games you own.
Beyond the fundamental act of crafting game badges, there are a few other significant avenues for XP gain that shouldn’t be overlooked, especially if you’re looking to optimize your leveling strategy. These often involve participating in larger, platform-wide events or completing certain community tasks. For instance, Steam sales events – you know, the legendary Summer and Winter sales that decimate our wallets – are fantastic opportunities. During these events, Steam often introduces special badges that can be earned by completing specific tasks, voting in the Steam Awards, or spending money in the sale itself. These event badges usually grant a decent chunk of XP, and sometimes, they even have multiple levels, allowing for repeated XP gains.
Then there are the community badges, which are essentially rewards for basic engagement with the Steam platform itself. These are often one-time badges that you earn by completing simple tasks like joining a group, posting a screenshot, reviewing a game, or setting up your profile. While they don't offer the repeatable XP of game badges, they're crucial for getting your initial levels and are essentially free XP for things you'd probably do anyway. The "Pillar of the Community" badge, for example, is a classic example of this, rewarding you for a series of small but meaningful contributions.
Finally, while not a direct source of XP, the Steam Gem system plays a crucial supporting role. Gems are a currency you create by 'sacrificing' unwanted inventory items like emoticons and profile backgrounds. These gems can then be used to craft booster packs, which, as we discussed, contain three random trading cards. So, while gems themselves don't give XP, they are a powerful tool for generating the trading cards that do lead to XP through badge crafting. It's an indirect but highly effective method that savvy levelers utilize constantly. Understanding how these various components interlink is key to developing a robust and efficient leveling strategy.
Core Methods for Earning Steam XP
Alright, now that we’ve got the 'why' and the general 'how' out of the way, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get into the actual mechanics. This is where the rubber meets the road, where theory transforms into actionable steps. Trust me, once you get the hang of these core methods, leveling up your Steam account will transition from a mysterious chore into a satisfying, almost meditative process. We’re going to break down each major XP source, giving you the insider perspective on how to maximize your gains. This isn't just about knowing what to do, but how to do it efficiently, strategically, and without breaking the bank (unless you want to, of course!).
This section is the meat and potatoes of our guide. We’ll delve deep into the most common and effective ways to accumulate XP, starting with the undeniable king of XP generation: crafting game badges. From there, we'll explore the nuances of foil badges, the cyclical opportunities presented by Steam events, the foundational XP from community engagement, and finally, how to leverage the gem system to your advantage. Each method has its own quirks and optimal approaches, and by the end of this, you'll be armed with a comprehensive toolkit to start your leveling ascent.
Crafting Game Badges
This is it, folks. If there's one thing you take away from this entire guide about how to level up your Steam account, let it be this: crafting game badges is the fundamental, most consistent, and most prolific method for earning Steam XP. Period. End of discussion. Every single game badge you craft, regardless of the game, will instantly reward you with 100 experience points. It’s a clean, repeatable transaction that forms the backbone of any serious leveling strategy. Think of it as the primary quest line in an RPG; everything else is just a side quest.
The process itself is quite elegant in its simplicity, but the underlying mechanics of acquiring the necessary components can be as complex or as straightforward as you make them. At its heart, crafting a game badge involves collecting a complete set of trading cards from a particular game. Each game that supports the Steam Trading Card system has a unique set of cards associated with it, varying in number from around 5 to 15 cards per set. Once you have one of each unique card required for that game's set, you're ready to combine them into a badge. It's like collecting puzzle pieces; only when you have them all can you complete the picture and claim your reward.
The beauty of this system lies in its scalability. There are literally thousands of games on Steam that offer trading cards. This means an almost endless supply of potential badges to craft, and thus, an almost endless supply of XP to earn. Whether you’re a casual player with a handful of games or a seasoned collector with a library stretching into the thousands, the opportunity to craft badges is always present. Your Steam profile page, under the "Badges" tab, is your central hub for this activity. It shows you which games have cards, which sets you're close to completing, and which badges you can craft right now. It's your personal XP dashboard, constantly reminding you of the next 100 XP waiting to be claimed.
Insider Note: The "Leveling Up" Mindset
When you start focusing on badges, your perspective on your game library changes. Games you might have dismissed as "filler" or "just for fun" suddenly become valuable sources of cards. You'll start looking at every new game purchase not just for its gameplay, but for its potential to contribute to your XP total. This shift in mindset is crucial for efficient leveling.
The initial crafting of a badge is just the beginning. Most game badges can be leveled up, typically to Level 5. Each subsequent level requires another complete set of the same game's trading cards, and each time you craft a new level, you get another 100 XP. This means a single game, if you're dedicated enough to craft its badge to Level 5, can net you a total of 500 XP (100 XP for each of the five levels). This repeatable nature is what makes badge crafting the absolute king of XP generation. It's not just a one-and-done deal; it's a continuous opportunity for growth, rewarding persistence and strategic card acquisition.
#### Acquiring Trading Cards
So, the golden ticket to XP is trading cards. But how do you actually get your hands on them? This is where the multifaceted nature of Steam's ecosystem truly shines, offering several distinct pathways, each with its own advantages and considerations. Understanding these methods is crucial for efficient and cost-effective leveling. It's not just about getting cards; it's about getting the right cards, at the right price, and sometimes, for free.
The most organic way to acquire trading cards is simply by playing games that support the system. When you own a game that has trading cards, you are eligible to receive a limited number of "card drops" just by playing it. The exact number of drops varies per game, but it's usually half the total number of cards in the set. So, if a game has 8 cards in its set, you'll typically get 4 drops. These drops are completely random, both in terms of which specific card you receive and when it drops. There's no specific achievement or milestone you need to hit; simply having the game open and running (even idly) for a certain amount of time will eventually trigger a card drop. This is the "free" method, leveraging the games you already own and play.
However, playing games will only get you so far. To complete a full set, you'll inevitably need the remaining cards that didn't drop. This is where the Steam Community Market becomes your best friend. The Market is a robust, user-driven economy where players can buy and sell virtually any tradable item on Steam, including trading cards. This is, by far, the most common and often the most efficient way to acquire specific cards you need. You can search for individual cards, see their current market value, and either buy them instantly at the lowest listed price or place a "buy order" for a lower price and wait for someone to sell to you. The prices of cards fluctuate based on demand, rarity, and the age of the game, so a keen eye for market trends can save you a significant amount of money.
Pro-Tip: Market Efficiency
When buying cards on the Steam Market, always check the price history. Sometimes a card spikes due to a sudden demand. Use buy orders for common cards to save a few cents per card; for rarer or more volatile cards, consider buying instantly if the price is right. Every penny saved adds up when you're crafting hundreds of badges.
Finally, trading with other users is another viable option, though it often requires a bit more effort and social interaction. You can find trading partners in Steam groups dedicated to trading, or simply by checking the profiles of friends or other players you encounter. If you have duplicate cards, or cards for games you don't care to level up, you can offer to trade them for cards you need. While the Steam Market offers unparalleled convenience, direct trading can sometimes result in better deals, especially if you're trading rare or foil cards. It’s a more personal approach, requiring negotiation and mutual benefit, but it can be incredibly rewarding when you strike a good deal and help a fellow leveler.
#### Understanding Card Rarity and Foil Cards
When you dive into the world of Steam trading cards, you'll quickly realize that not all cards are created equal. Just like in physical collectible card games, there's a concept of rarity that influences a card's market value and, to a lesser extent, its role in badge crafting. Distinguishing between common and rare cards, and understanding the allure of foil cards, is crucial for anyone looking to efficiently manage their inventory and optimize their leveling strategy.
Most trading card sets consist primarily of common cards. These are the standard cards that drop during gameplay and are the most frequently bought and sold on the Steam Community Market. Their value is generally low, often just a few cents, because of their abundance. These are your workhorses; you'll be collecting hundreds, if not thousands, of these to craft the bulk of your badges. There isn't a formal "rare" designation for non-foil cards within the Steam system, but market dynamics often create artificial rarity. If a game is old, less played, or its cards are simply less frequently listed, its common cards might fetch a slightly higher price due to lower supply, even if they aren't inherently "rare" in their drop rate.
However, the real distinction in rarity comes with foil cards. Every game that offers trading cards also has a corresponding set of foil cards. These are visually distinct, featuring a shimmering, metallic effect that makes them stand out from their common counterparts. Foil cards are significantly rarer than common cards; they have a much lower drop rate when playing games, and they are also much less likely to appear in booster packs. This scarcity directly translates to a much higher market value. While a common card might sell for 5 cents, its foil equivalent could easily fetch several dollars, sometimes even tens or hundreds of dollars for extremely rare or popular game foils.
Insider Note: Foil Card Value
The market value of a foil card is driven by two main factors: its rarity and the desirability of the game's foil badge/profile items. If a game has a particularly cool foil badge or a sought-after foil emoticon, its foil cards will command a premium. Always check market prices before selling or crafting with foils.
The impact of foil cards on badge crafting is interesting. While they are visually distinct and significantly more expensive, crafting a foil badge typically yields the same 100 XP as crafting a regular badge. This is a critical piece of information for levelers. If your sole goal is to gain XP, spending significantly more money on foil cards to get the same 100 XP is generally not a cost-effective strategy. Foil badges are primarily for collectors, for those who want to show off a truly unique and expensive badge on their profile, or for those who appreciate the aesthetic.
However, understanding foil cards is still important. Sometimes, you might accidentally receive a foil card as a drop, or perhaps you'll find one in a booster pack. Knowing its market value means you can make an informed decision: do you sell it for a significant profit and use that money to buy many common cards for multiple badges, or do you hold onto it for the prestige of a foil badge? For most efficient XP gain, selling high-value foil cards and reinvesting the proceeds into numerous cheap common card sets is the optimal strategy. It's all about making smart choices with your inventory to fuel your XP climb.
#### The Badge Crafting Process
You've played your games, scoured the Market, perhaps even made a few trades – and now, you've got a complete set of trading cards for a specific game. Congratulations! You're standing at the precipice of pure XP goodness. The actual process of crafting a badge is incredibly straightforward, almost anticlimactic given the effort that might have gone into collecting the cards, but it's a moment of digital satisfaction nonetheless. Let's walk through it step-by-step, ensuring you don't miss a beat.
- Navigate to Your Badges Page: The first thing you need to do is get to your personal Badges page on Steam. You can do this by hovering over your username in the Steam client or browser, then clicking "Badges" from the dropdown menu. This page is your command center for all things badge-related. It lists every game you own that has trading cards, showing your progress towards completing each set.
- Identify a Ready-to-Craft Badge: On your Badges page, look for games that display a clear "Ready" or "Craft Badge" indicator. These are the games for which you have successfully collected every unique card in the set. Steam makes it very obvious, often highlighting these entries so you can quickly spot them. You'll see a green button or a prompt indicating you have a full set.
- Click "Craft Badge": Once you've identified a game with a complete set, simply click on the "Craft Badge" button associated with that game. A confirmation window will pop up, showing you which cards are about to be consumed and what you'll receive in return. This is your last chance to double-check that you're crafting the badge you intend to.
- Confirm the Craft: After reviewing the details, click the "Craft Badge" button within the confirmation window. Steam will then process the transaction, consuming your trading cards from your inventory. This happens almost instantly.
- Claim Your Rewards: As soon as the badge is crafted, several things happen simultaneously:
And that's it! You've successfully crafted a badge and earned your 100 XP. The process is smooth and intuitive, designed to be user-friendly. Now, you can repeat this process for every other game whose card sets you’ve completed. This systematic approach is the bedrock of efficient leveling, and understanding each step ensures you can churn out those badges without a hitch.
#### Badge Levels and XP Gain
This is where the true power of badge crafting for XP gain becomes evident, and it's a concept that often surprises newcomers. Many people assume you craft a badge once, get your 100 XP, and then that game is "done" for leveling purposes. Oh, how wrong they are! The beauty of the Steam badge system, and the reason it's such an effective XP farm, is its repeatability across multiple levels.
Almost every standard game badge can be crafted multiple times, typically up to Level 5. What does this mean in practice? It means that for a single game, if you collect five separate complete sets of its trading cards, you can craft its badge five times. And here's the kicker: each time you craft a level of the badge, you receive another 100 XP. So, a game with a Level 5 badge potential can contribute a total of 500 XP to your Steam account (100 XP for Level 1, 100 XP for Level 2, 100 XP for Level 3, and so on, up to Level 5).
This distinction is absolutely crucial for efficient leveling. Instead of constantly searching for new games with cards, you can focus on a smaller pool of games where the cards are cheap and readily available on the Steam Community Market. If you find a game whose complete card set costs, say, $0.25 to acquire, you can spend $1.25 to craft its badge to Level 5, netting you 500 XP. That's a fantastic XP-to-cost ratio, especially when compared to trying to find five different games whose first-level badges cost $0.25 each.
Example Scenario:
Let's say "Game A" has a set of 5 trading cards, and each card costs $0.05 on the market.
Cost for one set: 5 cards $0.05 = $0.25
- Crafting Level 1 badge: 100 XP
- Crafting Level 2 badge: 100 XP (another $0.25 spent)
- Crafting Level 3 badge: 100 XP (another $0.25 spent)
- Crafting Level 4 badge: 100 XP (another $0.25 spent)
- Crafting Level 5 badge: 100 XP (another $0.25 spent)
Total cost for Game A (Level 5): $1.25
The ability to repeatedly craft badges up to Level 5 is what makes this system so powerful for dedicated levelers. It streamlines the card acquisition process, as you can buy multiple sets of the same cheap cards, and it provides a clear, scalable path to accumulating thousands of XP points. This also means that games with very cheap card sets become highly desirable for XP farming. You'll often see players talking about "card farming games" or "cheap badge games" – these are the titles whose cards are so ubiquitous and inexpensive that they become perfect candidates for crafting multiple badge levels. Always prioritize these when you’re looking to maximize your XP per dollar spent.
Crafting Foil Badges
While the primary goal of leveling up is usually raw XP accumulation, there's an undeniable allure to the more prestigious, shimmering counterpart of the regular game badge: the foil badge. These aren't just for show, though they certainly excel at that. Crafting a foil badge is a distinct process that uses a full set of foil trading cards, which, as we discussed earlier, are significantly rarer and more expensive than their common counterparts.
The process for crafting a foil badge is identical to crafting a regular badge, with one crucial difference: every single card in the set you submit must be a foil card. So, if a game's regular badge requires 7 common cards, its foil badge will require 7 foil cards from that same game. There's no mixing and matching; it's an all-or-nothing proposition. This requirement for an entire set of rare, high-value cards is precisely why foil badges are seen as a luxury item in the Steam economy.
Insider Note: Foil Badge XP vs. Cost
For pure XP efficiency, crafting foil badges is almost never the optimal choice. The cost of a full foil set can easily be 10-50 times (or more!) the cost of a common set, yet it still only grants 100 XP. Therefore, foil badges are best reserved for those who prioritize aesthetic appeal, unique profile customization, or simply have disposable income they wish to spend on their Steam profile.
So, why would anyone bother crafting a foil badge if it yields the same 100 XP as a regular badge but costs significantly more? The answer lies in the realm of aesthetics and prestige. Foil badges are visually stunning; they shimmer and glow on your profile, immediately drawing the eye and signaling a certain level of dedication (and financial investment) in your Steam persona. For collectors, for those who want to make their profile truly unique, or for players who have a deep affection for a particular game and want its ultimate badge, the foil badge is the pinnacle. It's a statement piece, a digital trophy that screams "I went the extra mile."
It's also worth noting that, just like regular badges, foil badges typically have multiple levels (usually up to Level 5), and each level crafted will still grant 100 XP. However, the cost implications become even more staggering if you attempt to craft a foil badge to its maximum level. Acquiring five full sets of foil cards for a single game can easily run into the hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars for popular titles. This makes maximum-level foil badges an extreme rarity, often reserved for the most dedicated (and affluent) Steam collectors.
In summary, while foil badges do provide 100 XP per level, just like their common counterparts, their exorbitant cost makes them an inefficient method for raw XP farming. Their value lies in their visual appeal, their rarity, and the prestige they confer upon the owner. If your goal is purely to level up your Steam account as quickly and cheaply as possible, you should generally sell any foil cards you acquire and use the proceeds to buy numerous common card sets. But if you’ve got a bit of extra cash and want to truly make a statement, a well-placed foil badge can be a magnificent addition to your profile.
Crafting Event Badges
Beyond the evergreen method of game badge crafting, Steam periodically rolls out spectacular opportunities for XP gain through its major seasonal sales and other special events. These are not just opportunities to snag games at a discount; they are meticulously designed mini-games and meta-events that often come bundled with unique, time-limited badges that can be surprisingly generous with XP. Leveraging these event badges is a crucial part of a well-rounded leveling strategy, as they offer a refreshing alternative to card grinding and can often be earned through activities you'd be doing anyway.
Think of the big ones: the Steam Summer Sale, the
