Steam Family Sharing Beta

[xamon]

This week I received an invite for the Steam Family Sharing beta and I figured I would take it for a test drive. For those who do not know, the Family Sharing allows a user to authorized his library on up to 10 devices for other Steam member to use. There are limitation and restrictions however: 

• The owner of the library and the person borrowing cannot use the library at the same time even if they want to play different games. 
  
• Not every game is shareable. You do not get new activation keys when lending games which means that games requiring an activation key or a third party account cannot be shared. 
  
• If a person cheats or do anything against the term of use while playing your game, you are liable for it which mean you can be VAC banned or you may also lose the ability to share games. 
  
• Region restriction are still in effect. 
  
• DLC are also shared but the person using the shared library will not be able to purchase the dlc for the game.
  

 

The first point may be puzzling to you and you may ask yourself “What if I want to play a game on my library but someone else is using it?” 

Valve gives the owner priority over his library and I will describe how it works later on. 

 

How Does the setup works 

 

The setup is actually really sample. As of right now you will have to opt in to the most recent Steam beta client but I am pretty sure this will not be a recommendation when the Family Sharing is out of beta. 

To authorize a computer, you first have to log in on the computer you would like to authorize using the account you wish to share. 

When you are logged in, you simply have to go to the settings and then on the Manage Family Settings and Devices where you will be able to authorize that device.

 

This is all you have to do. The next time another account(s) signs in, they will see all your games in their library. 

 

If you want to unauthorized a device you do not have to go back to it. Just do the same steps above and you will be able to unauthorized it from wherever you are logged in. 

 

How does it work 

 

When you are using a shared library, before launching any eligible games, you will see whose library the game is coming from.

 

Everything else works pretty much like a normal library, you just have to install a game and launch it. If the game uses cloud saves, the saves will be bound to your account not the one who is sharing his library. This is a great feature that allows the person who is using the shared library to be able to continue playing where they left off if they decide to buy the game themselves or if they continue to play the game on another authorized device. 

 

On the owner's side, you will be able to see before launching a game if someone is using your library or not.

Again a fairly useful feature if you do not want to disturb the person using your library. If you do not care or really want to play a game, then you will be able to launch a game normally. 

At that point, the other person using your library will receive a message letting them know that they have 5 minutes to finish up and quit the game or they will have to buy the game to continue playing. At the end of those 5 minutes, the game shuts down and you are redirected to the store page of the game you were playing. 

If you try using the shared library while the owner is playing a game, a buy button will appear instead of play. 

I do not know how it will work if several people (owner non included) tried to use the library at the same time. I believe it will be first come first serve but I cannot guarantee that. 

 

My thoughts

 

I am not the intended demography for this function but I like what it could bring in the future. I believe that this could be a first step in a direction that would allow Steam users to lend their games, trade their license or even resell them. This is what got me really excited when Steam made the announcement. I see this as a first step toward a change on how we see digital licenses and what the end user is able and capable to do with them. A system like the one vaguely described on for the Xbox One where you are able to resell your digital games or trade them in will be great. Right now the only digital gaming store that allows trade ins that I know of is Green Man Gaming and it works pretty well.

 

 

In the state the trading is right now, I can only see it fulfill the need of a niche group. One scenario I can see working pretty well is a family having a single computer but several kids. Being able to buy 1 copy of a game on an account that become shared between the kids could be a lot more beneficial to some than buying several copies of the same game.

 

It has restrictions right now but the future of digital games is looking very interesting and I cannot wait to see the state of the industry in 5 years.

 

[Sarcasm]

A step in the right direction, but compared to PSN...

[Coombzy]

I don't like the bit where I have to sign in on the computer of the person I wish to share with.

[boggle4321]

just did  this, thanks for the detailed guide!

[xamon]

I don't like the bit where I have to sign in on the computer of the person I wish to share with.

that one part got me puzzled at first too. I thought they would use a code or email in order to do the sharing but after thinking a bit I believe they did it that way to stop people from sharing from across "regions" (Europe, US, Russia). I think the other issue they may have foreseen is people abusing the system and having to send your account info and password could limit that.

 

 

just did  this, thanks for the detailed guide!

no problem

[Vitalius]

Awesome.

Question: If you are the one sharing (not the owner), do you have to be connected to the internet to play the games? I assume so.

If not, then the sharer could just disconnect from the internet when the owner wants to play a game but the sharer doesn't want to stop. 

[xamon]

@Vitulius Good question. I will try this when I get the time.

[Mendozacheers]

Family Sharing is neat feature, but it's target to a specific group of people. I don't see myself using this, not until I got a kid old enough to game for him/her-self. Even then, I better have spend my hard earned money on my steam account for Myself! My kids better not be spoiled to use that

[ghostly65]

I agree with you that this is a step in the right direction and like you I don't feel that I am the intended audience. I thinkt that if this leads to being able to resell games then that would be absolutely amazing. I have a couple of games I don't want and there are other games that I do want and so if I could sell what I don't want that would then allow me to be able to get what I do want. Even if you can't resell for full price still the concept of resell would be great. Especially if you could do it in the market place like they did with trading cards.

[Askew]

Great post thanks for the information.

[JcGross]

This is so retarded! They said it would only throw you out if you want to play the SAME game, not when you use your library at all... I don't see this working at all. And the fact that you have to be logged into the device to activate it... I mean, why can't you just click on a user and in the menu you could select "share games" and there you could choose which games you want to share. So, I suddenly lost a LOT of interest in this... I feel they changed it since it was first announced, and for the worst it seems.

[xamon]

This is so retarded! They said it would only throw you out if you want to play the SAME game, not when you use your library at all... I don't see this working at all. And the fact that you have to be logged into the device to activate it... I mean, why can't you just click on a user and in the menu you could select "share games" and there you could choose which games you want to share. So, I suddenly lost a LOT of interest in this... I feel they changed it since it was first announced, and for the worst it seems.

That was always how it was designed.

"Though simultaneous usage of an account’s library is not allowed, the lender may always access and play his games at any time." (taking from the Steam Family Sharing Announcement on 9/11)

I believe the reason for this limitation is due to how they share the library. I think they share your whole library (read licenses) as one instead of sharing games individually. So if a person starts one game, Steam detects the whole library as being in use. Its a limitation right now but I bet it will evolve as time go on.

 

As for the way authorization works, they want you to authorize devices, not users. You can authorize up to 10 devices with an unlimited amount of users on that machine. The other way around (authorizing users) would mean that a person could go from computer to computer and just play your games like that and I think they didn't want that. I would have loved a better way of sharing than to actually login on a machine though.

[Vitalius]

I would have loved a better way of sharing than to actually login on a machine though.

That's the only way to prevent people from sharing games with others across continents/nations. Which apparently Steam doesn't want.

[MdX MaxX]

This is so retarded! They said it would only throw you out if you want to play the SAME game, not when you use your library at all... I don't see this working at all. And the fact that you have to be logged into the device to activate it... I mean, why can't you just click on a user and in the menu you could select "share games" and there you could choose which games you want to share. So, I suddenly lost a LOT of interest in this... I feel they changed it since it was first announced, and for the worst it seems.

That's the way it's always worked.  I think a lot of people misinterpreted it when the feature was first revealed.

 

I mean think about it; if sharing was on a game-by-game basis, it would be easily abused as 10 people could play off of the same account as long as no one was playing the same game.  Why would anyone buy games anymore when they could just mooch off of their friends?

 

And having to log on to the device to activate it makes sure it's truly "family and friends sharing" rather than "some guy on the Internet sharing."

 

Valve was very smart with this, and it's going to be an excellent feature.  I can see my little brother taking advantage of this since I don't have much time to play games during the week.

[Ethnod]

I dont like this system of how you authorise a machine. I mean, if you are using it, in the long run its good but for an uncle and nephew (for example) where they are living in other countries are distant parts of the same country or for cousins who live at great distances the only way to use this in the near future (potentially ever) is to share passwords. And in practice, I would imagine that this is the way that this is going to work. 

Personally I have family that I never get to go to their place and vice versa and the only way we can authorise both machines is to exchange passwords and each log the other onto their own machine. In the long run it will be handy as it will mean that any one in that family I can then share with but.... its not ideal tbh

[Vitalius]

I actually have another question:

How do they log in after you authorize the computer? If the point of having you log in to authorize is to force you to use your password, thereby preventing you from sharing your password with other people (who you wouldn't trust with it), then how do they log in after you authorize the computer? With their account?

Then what happens if you change your password? Do they have to be re-authorized? That would be annoying as crap. 

I mean, if it wouldn't need to be re-authorized, then you could give your password away, then immediately change it. If it would, then you would need to re-authorize if your account ever became compromised. 

Either way, someone loses. Steam loses in their failed attempt at preventing mass sharing, or you lose in having to re-authorize every device if you are compromised.

Oh well.

[JcGross]

And having to log on to the device to activate it makes sure it's truly "family and friends sharing" rather than "some guy on the Internet sharing."

You don't seriously think that this will stop people sharing their libraries with "non-family". There are programs like TeamViewer that lets you take controll of an other computer through this thing called "internet", so you can easily log on without even giving out your login information.

 

 

I mean think about it; if sharing was on a game-by-game basis, it would be easily abused as 10 people could play off of the same account as long as no one was playing the same game.  Why would anyone buy games anymore when they could just mooch off of their friends?

...That was the idea... They could've easily made limitations as to how many games you can actually lend (btw you can't lend anything that need additional login so that's already half the games that you're not going to be sharing) or some other limitations that would inspire you to buy the game. But no, they f-ed it up.

[Vitalius]

You don't seriously think that this will stop people sharing their libraries with "non-family". There are programs like TeamViewer that lets you take controll of an other computer through this thing called "internet", so you can easily log on without even giving out your login information.

 

 

...That was the idea... They could've easily made limitations as to how many games you can actually lend (btw you can't lend anything that need additional login so that's already half the games that you're not going to be sharing) or some other limitations that would inspire you to buy the game. But no, they f-ed it up.

Keylogger to your first paragraph. I would be very wary of such a thing. Just saying.

I agree with your second paragraph though.

[Mendozacheers]

You don't seriously think that this will stop people sharing their libraries with "non-family". There are programs like TeamViewer that lets you take controll of an other computer through this thing called "internet", so you can easily log on without even giving out your login information.

 

 

...That was the idea... They could've easily made limitations as to how many games you can actually lend (btw you can't lend anything that need additional login so that's already half the games that you're not going to be sharing) or some other limitations that would inspire you to buy the game. But no, they f-ed it up.

 

Half the games require additional log ins? I doubt that. I do agree that it is useless to most peple and a niche feature for a specific small group of people, however - valve never specified otherwise. That they took this up and did Something about it is good enough, one step further than Microsoft and Sony. These guys don't want you to lend games at it is, even physical copies. They just want to sell more and more, if valve prevents a more growing income then publishers would look elsewhere, nobody wants that.

 

I agree though, would love to be able to share at least 1 game while I am playing something myself, but that's not gonna happen just like that, something must prevent that feature from reducing game sales.

[xamon]

I actually have another question:

How do they log in after you authorize the computer? If the point of having you log in to authorize is to force you to use your password, thereby preventing you from sharing your password with other people (who you wouldn't trust with it), then how do they log in after you authorize the computer? With their account?

Then what happens if you change your password? Do they have to be re-authorized? That would be annoying as crap. 

I mean, if it wouldn't need to be re-authorized, then you could give your password away, then immediately change it. If it would, then you would need to re-authorize if your account ever became compromised. 

Either way, someone loses. Steam loses in their failed attempt at preventing mass sharing, or you lose in having to re-authorize every device if you are compromised.

Oh well.

You authorize that device once and that is it. The device is authorize. Ever subsequent account that logs in on that device will have access to your games. No need to share your password and no need to always come back to authorize the computer. Just once and its over.

 

 

You don't seriously think that this will stop people sharing their libraries with "non-family". There are programs like TeamViewer that lets you take controll of an other computer through this thing called "internet", so you can easily log on without even giving out your login information.

 

 

...That was the idea... They could've easily made limitations as to how many games you can actually lend (btw you can't lend anything that need additional login so that's already half the games that you're not going to be sharing) or some other limitations that would inspire you to buy the game. But no, they f-ed it up.

I dont think the authorization process will stop everybody but it will stop a big amount. I could see people abusing this if it wasn't this way. I already saw one person wanting to create a Steam group to share accounts. I could see this thing go way out of hand really fast and Valve saw it too. Its always the few that ruins things for the many. I would have loved a better log in system and i hope they will have a better one later on but this system is in place to not stop abuse but lower it and it will.

 

As for the fact that you cannot share 1 game at a time, I think it will come with time. Right now this is very much a beta and they are probably trying to see how people will use it. If Valve sees abuse, we wont see more of this. If they dont it will evolve into something greater. Valve has already shown that they will just give up a project if they don't see any future in it (Winter coal abuse, Steam achievements abuse) and I truly hope people don't mess this up for everyone.

[Vitalius]

You authorize that device once and that is it. The device is authorize. Ever subsequent account that logs in on that device will have access to your games. No need to share your password and no need to always come back to authorize the computer. Just once and its over.

 

 

I dont think the authorization process will stop everybody but it will stop a big amount. I could see people abusing this if it wasn't this way. I already saw one person wanting to create a Steam group to share accounts. I could see this thing go way out of hand really fast and Valve saw it too. Its always the few that ruins things for the many. I would have loved a better log in system and i hope they will have a better one later on but this system is in place to not stop abuse but lower it and it will.

 

As for the fact that you cannot share 1 game at a time, I think it will come with time. Right now this is very much a beta and they are probably trying to see how people will use it. If Valve sees abuse, we wont see more of this. If they dont it will evolve into something greater. Valve has already shown that they will just give up a project if they don't see any future in it (Winter coal abuse, Steam achievements abuse) and I truly hope people don't mess this up for everyone.

Don't you see the problem with your first statement and then the second one? 

If I only have to authorize it a single time, then I can send random people my password, then immediately change it after they have authorized their PC's. Thus completely avoiding Steam's limitation.

[DeViLzzz]

It is hardly sharing Steam.  Shut up.  What a totally stupid idea.

[xamon]

Don't you see the problem with your first statement and then the second one? 

If I only have to authorize it a single time, then I can send random people my password, then immediately change it after they have authorized their PC's. Thus completely avoiding Steam's limitation.

The goal, I assume, was not to stop that practice (for obvious reason) but to lower it. They put road block along the way to make sure that some people don't go about doing what you are describing. So the fact that you have to log in on the device to authorize it, the fact that only 1 instance of an account can be playing at a time, the fact that if someone using your library in a way that is against the ToS reflects on your account, all these things are put along the way to make sure that you only share your library with people you trust.

 

That last one is the one that will deter people the most because if the people using your library continuously break the ToS, you can be banned, you can lose sharing privileges etc. So the system is set up in a way to lower the will of sharing with "random people" and only doing it with people you trust hence Family and friends.

[ObeseWalrus]

Cool