A new update from Valve has given Steam a better way to suggest games that you might like.
The new update, called the Discovery Update, includes recommendations that are made based on the games that you have played in the past, and based on what your friends are playing.
One of the better aspects of the update is that the recommendations are customizable. If you look at the highlights section of the store, you can see why certain games were recommended to you. This involves simple tags like “horror” and “Action”, and it also allows you to avoid certain kinds of games you aren’t keen on. On the preferences screen, you are able to choose up to three different tags for games you’d rather avoid. Not too keen on puzzle games? Well you can banish them from your sight.
No more FPS recommendations, or MMOs, or Sports games? Sign me up! You can also exclude Early Access titles, VR titles, pre-orders, and more:
The fact that recommended titles now list the tags that put them into your recommendations is a welcome bit of transparency, too:
Will this solve all of Steam's "discoverability" issues? Probably not. It will go a long way to making it easier for users to find the kinds of games they're interested in, though, which should only help sales of even niche titles, and it definitely makes for a better user experience. All in all, I'm going to call this one a win.
Even bigger win? Valve continues to be engaged, and working actively on improving their service. It looks like they've finally woken up, and plan on staying that way. Good on them.
