[PC] Steam Set to Introduce Family Game Sharing

[padman59]

Steam Announces Family Sharing

Coming Soon: Players who share computers can also share their Steam games

September 11, 2013 – Steam Family Sharing, a new service feature that allows close friends and family members to share their libraries of Steam games, is coming to Steam, a leading platform for the delivery and management of PC, Mac, and Linux games and software. The feature will become available next week, in limited beta on Steam.

Steam Family Sharing is designed for close friends and family members to play one another's Steam games while each earning their own Steam achievements and storing their own saves and application data to the Steam cloud. It's all enabled by authorizing a shared computer.

“Our customers have expressed a desire to share their digital games among friends and family members, just as current retail games, books, DVDs, and other physical media can be shared,” explained Anna Sweet of Valve. “Family Sharing was created in direct response to these user requests.”

Once a device is authorized, the lender's library of Steam games becomes available for others on the machine to access, download, and play. Though simultaneous usage of an account’s library is not allowed, the lender may always access and play his games at any time. If he decides to start playing when a friend is borrowing one of his games, the friend will be given a few minutes to either purchase the game or quit playing.

For more information about Steam Family Sharing and the beta program, please visit store.steampowered.com/sharing.

http://store.steampowered.com/news/11436/

I WANT TO TRY THIS! HOW CAN I JOIN THE FAMILY SHARING BETA?
To express interest in beta participation, join the Family Sharing Group on the Steam community. The Family Sharing beta will begin in mid-September, when a thousand Steam accounts from this group will be granted access to share their Steam libraries. You’ll know you’ve been selected when you receive an email from Steam inviting you to try out the new feature.

HOW DO I ENABLE FAMILY SHARING ON MY COMPUTER?
Family Sharing is enabled in one of two ways: You can either locally enable sharing in Account Settings, with Family Sharing & Devices, or remotely respond to a user’s Steam request to share your previously installed games via email.

IS THERE A LIMIT TO THE NUMBER OF DEVICES I CAN AUTHORIZE TO SHARE MY LIBRARY?
Yes. A Steam account may authorize Family Sharing on up to 10 devices at a given time.

CAN I SHARE SPECIFIC GAMES, OR DO I HAVE TO SHARE MY WHOLE LIBRARY?
Libraries are shared and borrowed in their entirety.

CAN ALL STEAM GAMES BE SHARED WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY?
No, due to technical limitations, some Steam games may be unavailable for sharing. For example, titles that require an additional third-party key, account, or subscription in order to play cannot be shared between accounts.

CAN A FRIEND AND I SHARE A LIBRARY AND BOTH PLAY AT THE SAME TIME?
No, a shared library may only be accessed by one user at a time.

WHEN I AUTHORIZE A DEVICE TO LEND MY LIBRARY TO OTHERS, DO I LIMIT MY OWN ABILITY TO ACCESS AND PLAY MY GAMES?
As the lender, you may always access and play your games at any time. If you decide to start playing when a friend is already playing one of your games, he/she will be given a few minutes to either purchase the game or quit playing.

SOMETIMES THE GAMES I’VE BORROWED ARE UNAVAILABLE FOR ME TO PLAY. WHY?
Borrowed games are only available on devices that have been authorized by the lender. Borrowed games will be unavailable on even an authorized device when the lender’s library is currently in use on another computer.

WHO OWNS AND CAN ACCESS THE DLC AND IN-GAME CONTENT ASSOCIATED WITH A BORROWED TITLE?
A borrower will have access to the lender’s DLC, but borrowers may not purchase DLC for a base game they don't own. Any player may purchase, trade, earn, or otherwise acquire in-game content while playing a game, but in-game items cannot be shared between accounts. These items remain the property of the account that purchased or acquired them, whether borrowing or lending the base game.

CAN REGION-RESTRICTED CONTENT BE SHARED ACROSS REGIONS?
No, any region restrictions will remain in place when lending or borrowing content.

WILL I BE PUNISHED FOR ANY CHEATING OR FRAUD CONDUCTED BY OTHER USERS WHILE PLAYING MY GAMES?
Your Family Sharing privileges may be revoked if your library is used by borrowers to conduct cheating or fraud. We recommend you only authorize familiar computers you know to be secure.

I joined the group to get into the beta. The first thousand members of the official group are set to get beta invites next week, and it's sitting at about 63k members right now.

 

[jms493]

Do I have to be online to use this?

 

[Primetime]

So it is basically identical to the XB1 family sharing they announced but a bit more restrictive. I like.

 

[jms493]

Anyway...

Great job Valve!

 

[killgod]

We need to amass a group of 10 here to form a steam famileh.

 

[jms493]

We need to amass a group of 10 here to form a steam famileh.

 

[calgaryballer]

We need to amass a group of 10 here to form a steam famileh.

Yup, now I can access even more games that get pushed to the side by FM 2014

 

[calgaryballer]

IN THE BETA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think that means that anyone who is my friend on Steam can now access my games. Let me know if anyone can do so. Should be called CB's Games I think

Kind of sucks being the sharee, don't get anyone else's games

 

[jms493]

IN THE BETA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think that means that anyone who is my friend on Steam can now access my games. Let me know if anyone can do so. Should be called CB's Games I think

Kind of sucks being the sharee, don't get anyone else's games

you are in the beta...you should read how it really works.

 

[calgaryballer]

you are in the beta...you should read how it really works.

I think I have an idea. But I think I need other people who are in the beta to be able to play their games...

Unless there is something I am missing...

EDIT - argh. Is it only on my computer?

 

[jms493]

I think I have an idea. But I think I need other people who are in the beta to be able to play their games...

Unless there is something I am missing...

EDIT - argh. Is it only on my computer?

sigh...you have to sign into a person's machine in order to give them access. It is a FAMILY sharing program. It is built to allow other people in your house to access your games will being on their own account.

Therefore if you want to share games with me then you have to give me your username and password. I will sign in and then you will get an email with an access code. Give me that access code to add my machine. Then I can play your games. I have to do the same if you want to play my games.

Got it you blimey brit?

 

[calgaryballer]

Steam Set to Introduce Family Game Sharing

sigh...you have to sign into a person's machine in order to give them access. It is a FAMILY sharing program. It is built to allow other people in your house to access your games will being on their own account.

Therefore if you want to share games with me then you have to give me your username and password. I will sign in and then you will get an email with an access code. Give me that access code to add my machine. Then I can play your games. I have to do the same if you want to play my games.

Got it you blimey brit?

Well la de da Mr I can read. That is not as easy as I imagined. Guess it makes sense though. Prevents me from sharing with sketchy folks

 

[jms493]

Well la de da Mr I can read. That is not as easy as I imagined. Guess it makes sense though. Prevents me from sharing with sketchy folks

yes it makes sense...otherwise it would be a shit show of people trying to access games when you are on and and bunch on nonsense.

 

[calgaryballer]

yes it makes sense...otherwise it would be a shit show of people trying to access games when you are on and and bunch on nonsense.

In my head I assumed I'd have 5-10 'licenses' to share with friends and family. Because while I am smart enough to not share an account which has payment details in it, not everyone is.

 

[padman59]

I think Valve has quietly let people in the beta without notifying them. I've been sharing with my brother for a few days now after he noticed that there was a "Manage Family Sharing & Devices" button in the settings menu, but neither of us received an email or Steam notification saying we got in.

 

[padman59]

If you joined the official family sharing group, you should be in the beta.

Good news, everybody currently in this group should have access to Steam Family Sharing now. Thanks to your help we fixed a bunch of issue, but please keep on reporting bugs and providing feedback.

http://steamcommunity.com/groups/familysharing#announcements/detail/1676755838935322048

 

[jms493]

If you joined the official family sharing group, you should be in the beta.


http://steamcommunity.com/groups/familysharing#announcements/detail/1676755838935322048

I think I am in as well :shifty: