Unlike the majority of games and programs for Windows, Mac apps are frequently distributed whole, with a nag screen and 30-day limit or the like - shareware, essentially. Let’s take a look at what Steam is up against. It’s worth taking a bit of time to look at, since gaming is increasingly a major source of revenue and a wedge to increase market share. Of course, the idea of Steam on the Mac causes a delicate froth to appear on the lips of several kinds of fanboys - but while an excellent game-distribution client like Steam would be welcome on the Mac, it may not be the gaming renaissance people are hoping for. At any rate, GDC is coming up and the expected announcements are Steam on OS X (definite) and possibly a peek at Portal 2, Half-Life: Episode 3, or both (speculative). You could be forgiven for expecting a full-site skin for 1UP, or a week-long series of “developer diaries” on IGN - that’s what every other game company out there thinks makes games sell. Valve is in the midst of a media blitz at the moment - not that you’d notice, since their idea of a media blitz is secretly launching a complex alternate reality game, or emailing single novelty screenshots to six different media outlets.
