Steam has introduced a new meta-currency for users to earn, called Points. Every time a user purchases a game, DLC, Valve hardware, app, soundtrack, or in-game items, they will earn 100 points for every dollar spent.
Users can spend Points on a variety of things through Steam, including animated avatars, backgrounds for their store, and animated chat emoticons. They can also reward other users for useful Workshop articles or well-written Steam reviewers by donating their Points.
Valve says the point store is “here to stay”, and any bonuses unlocked through points are permanent additions to a user’s profile. However, items purchased through Points cannot be sold through the market or exchanged.
Some of these awards are quite attractive, like PortalThemed borders for a player’s avatar, or an animated cartoon emoticon Geralt jumping and scrubbing in his bubble bath. There are rewards lines associated with popular games, ranging from emotional platforms Gray to kill the FPS demons Doom Eternal. There are independent titles like Elysium Disc represented with his own emoticons, along with Valve’s biggest hits like dota 2 and CS: GO.
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