INDUSTRY

entertainment

Category

game platforms

products Profiled

Steam

Steam Deck OLED

Valve Index Headset

H-Score

32

ranked 10th of 20 within the entertainment industry

ranked 57th of 76 overall

product descriptions

Steam is an online digital distribution platform for video games created by Valve Corporation with over 120 million monthly active users(1) and 62.6 million daily active users. Steam offers users an online gaming shop where users can purchase, install, and play video games. Steam offers users a community portal where users interact and play with each other. 

product use

To use Steam, users create a free account and install the program on their computer. Users can then purchase and download games from the Steam store or use Steam Remote Play which allows online access to games from a user’s library from most devices. From there, users can begin building their collection of games accessible from any device that has the Steam app installed by simply logging into the user's account. Steam offers users a community feature where they can join ongoing discussions, game workshops, broadcasts, or the community market (buy and sell games). Furthermore Steam gives users a platform to interact using their friends list and in-game voice chat or by sharing content and achievements. SteamVR gives users the ability to purchase and play VR games using supported VR headsets. Steam also now offers three versions of its own handheld gaming console,(2) the Steam Deck OLED, which gives gamers access to all games in their Steam accounts, as well as the Valve Index Headset, a virtual reality (VR) headset.(3)

who’s affected

Steam is marketed to mainly a younger crowd, somewhere in their 20’s,(4) although there are users of all ages.(5) In Building H’s survey data, 60% of Steam users were male, 39% were female, and less than 1% identified as other. Thirty-one (31) percent of Steam users were between the ages of 18 and 29, 47% between 30 and 49, 13% between 50 and 64, and 9% 65 or older. Among heavy Steam users (defined as using the console ≥1 hour per day), 61% were male, 38% were female, and less than 1% identified as other. Thirty-six (36) percent of heavy Steam users were between the ages 18 and 29, 44% between 30 and 49, 11% between 50 and 64, and 9% 65 or older. Steam users' incomes skewed higher from the general population: 23% made less than $50,000 per year, 43% made between $50,000 and $100,000 per year, 17% made between $100,000 and $150,000 per year, and 17% made at least $150,000 per year.(6)

influence on health-related behaviors

EATING

slight to moderate negative influence

Steam, like other gaming platforms, can negatively influence eating habits. Playing video games on platforms like Steam can decrease users' ability to estimate the amount of food they have consumed and can influence the consumption of unhealthy foods. 

Several studies have documented the overconsumption of food caused by the absence of hunger(7) and impairment to satiety cues(8) following video game playing though not specific to Steam. Playing video games, which can be a form of distraction while eating, puts gamers at a higher risk of overconsuming food.(9)

Playing video games on platforms like Steam has been linked with greater consumption of sugary foods,(10) fatty foods,(11) and salty foods.(12) Studies have also reported that video gamers eat fewer fruits and vegetables and foods high in fiber.(13,14) In addition, gamers may be likely to consume energy drinks, especially those that are specifically marketed to them, which claim to enhance attention and reaction time.(15)

In Building H’s consumer research, we found that 49% of Steam users reported snacking always or almost always (18%) or frequently (31%). Heavy Steam users reported snacking always or almost always or frequently in the same proportions.(16)

Steam users did report that these snacks were predominantly healthy: 67% reported consuming either very healthy (28%) or somewhat healthy (39%) snacks and 65% of heavy Steam users reported consuming very healthy (30%) and somewhat healthy (35%) snacks.(17)

Our research also found associations between Steam use and other eating habits: 51% of heavy Steam users have three (3) or more meals delivered per week compared to 5% non-gamers.(18) In addition, 27% of heavy Steam users reported eating three (3) or more fast food meals per week compared to 14% of non-gamers. Note that researchers have found 70% of meals served at fast food restaurants to be of poor nutritional quality.(19)

Lastly, 44% of heavy Steam users reported consuming energy drinks while gaming either frequently (28%) or always or almost always (16%).(20) Research has linked energy drink consumption to metabolic disorder due to their high added sugar content.(21)

PHYSICAL ACTVITY

moderate negative influence

Playing video games is largely, if not exclusively, a sedentary activity with 76% of heavy Steam users reporting playing while sitting or reclining – 33% frequently and 43% always or almost always. As a popular leisure activity, playing video games limits the time available for physical activity. Fifty-four (54) percent of Steam users report playing one (1) hour or more per day. Also, 44% of Steam users reported playing five (5) or more hours per week compared to 38% of gamers in general.(22) In addition, increased gaming predicts less time spent on physical activity due to the limited time available to participate in other activities including outdoor activities or sports.(23) Research has shown a significant association between individuals playing video games for more than 7 hours per week and reduced vigorous physical activity.(24) Our research did not reflect this relationship. In Building H consumer research, 28% of heavy Steam users reported engaging in at least two and a half (2 ½) hours of physical activity per week, similar to non-gamers (27%). Fifteen (15) percent of heavy Steam users reported engaging in less than 30 minutes of physical activity per week compared to 36% of non-gamers.(25)

Steam does not appear to offer game titles that are specifically developed for movement, activity, or exercise in its catalog. While many PC based titles do not encourage movement while playing, Steam does offer VR games, which are compatible with several popular VR platforms, which could lead users to get more movement while playing. In addition to Steam’s VR headset, users can buy the Valve Index Controllers (there is one for each hand) which are used for various functions in each game and provide an immersive experience.(26) In Building H’s consumer research, 43% of heavy Steam users reported frequently (24%) or always/almost always (19%) standing and actively moving while gaming.(27)

moderate negative influence

Gaming on platforms like Steam is associated with longer onset of sleep, short sleep duration, and poor sleep quality.(28) Recent findings suggest that with each additional hour of gaming per day, bedtime is delayed by 6.9 minutes, wake-up time by 13.8 minutes, and the odds of having poor sleep increased by 31.0%.(29) In addition it was found that gaming exceeding an hour per day decreases sleep quality with unfavorable sleep resulting from gaming for more than two hours per day.(30) 

Recent US survey data indicates that 53.8% of adult gamers reported delaying sleep in order to game and 37.8% got less than 5 hours of sleep.(31) Consistent with this information, in Building H research data, 68% of heavy Steam gamers reported delaying sleep at least two (2) nights per week compared to 46% of all gamers. However, the impact of this behavior did not show in our data on overall sleep: 26% of heavy Steam users reported getting six (6) or less actual hours of sleep per night compared to 38% of non-gamers.(32)

Late-night gaming also leads to exposure to the blue light emitted by the monitor on which the game is displayed. Furthermore, the blue light emitted from the gaming visuals enhances alertness and arousal and delays melatonin production all of which impact sleep-wake cycles.(33)

While Steam does not have any features to adjust the blue light in the platform (which would be subject to settings in the individual game or computer), such as using yellow filters, the Steam Deck OLED does have a night mode feature that can be set on a daily timer or can be turned on manually for one day.(34)

Finally, consumption of energy drinks has been tied to an increased risk of poor sleep(35) and, as noted above, nearly half of heavy Steam users report consuming energy drinks frequently (or even more often) while they play.

Engaging Socially

slight positive influence

Steam offers Steam Community, a robust online community where users can interact with friends, other users, buy and sell content, watch live gameplay, use game specific forums, and report disruptive behavior.(36) With all that it offers, Steam Community functions as an all-in-one gaming social media platform that gives users the opportunity to make connections with others. Also, Steam community overlay is an option users can enable that allows all the Steam Community features to be accessible in a window that overlays the game.(37)

Building H’s consumer research shows that 22% of Steam gamers play single-player games always or almost always. Nineteen (19) percent of Steam users play multiplayer games always or almost always (5%) or mostly (14%).(38) Research has shown that video games offer shy, socially anxious, and socially inhibited players the opportunity to strengthen pre-existing friendships built online and generate additional social support.(39) Online video games offer gamers the opportunity to engage actively with others compared to other on-screen behaviors by allowing gamers to participate in a shared activity with a common goal.(40) A recent study found a correlation between multiplayer online games and a sense of social identity, which corresponded with higher self-esteem and more social competence along with lower levels of loneliness.(41) Another study that focused on men, found that those with more depressive symptoms and less real-life support were roughly 40% more likely to form and maintain social ties with fellow gamers than those reporting more real-life support.(42) Increasingly users play video games to stay connected with friends and family, with 53% of US gamers reporting online gaming as a way to spend time with others that they don’t get the chance to see often.(43) Furthermore, 74% of parents report playing video games with their children at least weekly.(44)

In Building H’s consumer research, 50% of heavy Steam users reported being lonely compared to 41% of non-gamers. Yet, Steam users appear to engage in more in-person social activity. Sixty-nine (69) percent of heavy Steam users reported having two or more in-person social visits with people from outside of their household per week, as compared to 45% of non-gamers.(45)

The quality of social experience might differ depending on the game being played or the source of communication being utilized. Gamers have identified co-players as close, trusted, and valued friends with 75% of individuals surveyed reporting making good friends online and 40% of those discussing offline issues online.(46) Even when voice chat is not being used meaningfully social interactions can still occur where users exchange positive social-emotional messages more than task-oriented messages.(47) Even though features offered by developers and gaming platforms provide a source for people to connect and meet new people, toxic behaviors experienced in the game can deteriorate from the overall experience. After experiencing these toxic behaviors gamers might change session length, session frequency, and retention.(48)

In Building H’s consumer research, respondents were asked how playing games had influenced their relationships and social interactions in 13 different ways, including, for example, “meet new people,” “give emotional support to others,” and “feel less excluded.” Steam users reported a slight positive effect: on a scale of +3 to -3, the average score was 1.00 with the low being 0.78 and the high being 1.15 across all 13 questions.(49) They gave their highest scores to “meet my desired levels of socializing,” “feel satisfied with my relationships,” and “maintain my relationships” and their lowest scores to “meet new people” and “make new friends.” Heavy Steam users also reported a slight positive influence: the average score was 0.98 with the low being 0.73 and the high being 1.19.(50)

Getting Outdoors

slight negative influence

Gaming consoles, and PCs, are stationary devices and therefore are not intended for outdoor use. On the other hand, both virtual reality and handheld devices are portable and more likely to be used outdoors by gamers. In Building H’s consumer research, 44% of heavy Steam users reported gaming outdoors frequently (29%) and always or almost always (15%) compared to 27% reporting rarely or never. In addition, our research revealed 59% of heavy Steam users reported being outdoors for an hour or more per day in summer, as compared to 51% of non-gamers.(51)

Return to 2024 Building H Index

1. Brian Dean. Steam Usage and Catalog Stats for 2023. Backlinko website, August 2023.

2. Introducing Steam Deck OLED. Steam website, accessed December 3, 2023.

3. Valve Index Headset. Steam website, accessed December 5, 2023.

4. Kunal Dewan. Gaming on Steam: what works so well?. Bootcamp on Medium, May 2021.

5. Alexander Kunst. Distribution of Steam users in the United States as of September 2023, by age. Statista website, November 2023.

6. Evan Cook. Measuring the Product Environment: How do Video Games on Health Behaviors? Building H on Medium. April 23, 2024.

7. Mario Siervo et al. Acute effects of video-game playing versus television viewing on stress markers and food intake in overweight and obese young men: A randomised controlled trial. Appetite. Volume 120 (January 2018), pp. 100- 108.

8. Jean-Philipe Chaput et al. Video game playing increases food intake in adolescents: a randomized crossover study. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Volume 93, Issue 6 (June 2011), pp. 1196-1203.

9. Rose Oldham-Cooper et al. Playing a computer game during lunch affects fullness, memory for lunch, and later snack intake.The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Volume 93, Issue 2 (2011), pp. 308-313.

10. Mario Siervo et al. Acute effects of violent video-game playing on blood pressure and appetite perception in normal-weight young men: a randomized controlled trial. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Volume 67, Issue 12 (2013), pp. 1322-1324.

11. Dustin Moore and Jesse Stabile Morrell. Do dietary patterns differ with video game usage in college men? Journal of American College Health. Published online Aug 23, 2022.

12. Siervo et al. (2018).

13. Mario Siervo et al. Frequent video-game playing in young males is associated with central adiposity and high-sugar, low-fibre dietary consumption. Eating and Weight Disorders. Volume 19, Issue 4 (2014), pp. 515-520.

14. Siervo et al. (2018).

15. Dana Roscoe et al. Fueling the Games”: Energy Drink Consumption, Marketing, and the Associated Perceptions and Behaviors in Video Gaming. Journal of Electronic Gaming and Esports. Volume1, Issue 1 (2021), pp. 1-9.

16. Cook (2024).

17. Ibid.

18. Ibid.

19. Junxiu Liu et al. Quality of Meals Consumed by US Adults at Full-Service and Fast-Food Restaurants, 2003–2016: Persistent Low Quality and Widening Disparities. The Journal of Nutrition. Volume 150, Issue 4 (April 2020), pp. 873–883.

20. Cook (2024).

21. Laila Al-Shaar et al. Health Effects and Public Health Concerns of Energy Drink Consumption in the United States: A Mini-Review. Frontiers in Public Health. Volume 5, Article 225 (2017).

22. Cook (2024).

23. Beate Hygen et al. Longitudinal relations between gaming, physical activity, and athletic self-esteem. Computers in Human Behavior. Volume 132 (July 2022).

24. Siervo et al. (2014).

25. Cook (2024).

26. Valve Index Controllers. Steam website, accessed December 5, 2023.

27. Cook (2024).

28. Joaquim Kristensen et al. Problematic Gaming and Sleep: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Frontiers in Psychiatry. Volume 12, 2021.

29. Chadley Kemp et al. Sleep in Habitual Adult Video Gamers: A Systematic Review. Frontiers in Neuroscience. Volume 15, 2021.

30. Ibid.

31. Lauren Gravitz. How Gamers Actually Sleep. Sleep Foundation website. November 18, 2022.

32. Cook (2024).

33. Kristensen et al. (2021).

34. Aaron Greenbaum. 11 Hidden Steam Deck Features That Will Change The Way You Use Your Console. SlashGear website, August 2023.

35. Al-Shaar et al. (2017).

36. Steam Community 101. Steam website, accessed December 10, 2023.

37. Steam Community Overlay. Steam website, accessed December 10, 2023.

38. Cook (2024).

39. Rachel Kowert and Linda K. Kaye. Video Games Are Not Socially Isolating, in C. Ferguson (ed) Video Game Influences on Aggression, Cognition, and Attention (2018), pp. 185–195.

40. Stephen Gossett. The Real Social Benefits of Video Games. Built In. January 23, 2023.

41. Kowert and Kaye (2018).

42. Tyler Prochnow et al. Online Gaming Network Communication Dynamics, Depressive Symptoms, and Social Support: A Longitudinal Network Analysis. Sociological Focus. Volume 56, Issue 3 (2023).

43. Entertainment Software Association. 2021 Essential Facts About the Gaming Industry. The ESA website, July 2021.

44. Ibid.

45. Cook (2024).

46. Kowert and Kaye (2018).

47. Andrew Fishman. Video Games Are Social Spaces: How Video Games Help People Connect. Response for Teens website, accessed November 14, 2023.

48. Otto Soderlund. Voice Chat is Popular with Gamers - It's also the Top Source of Toxic Behavior. Speechly. March 8, 2023.

49. Using an adaptation of the Retrospective Assessment for Connection Impact (RACI) scale developed by Matthew Smith.

50. Cook (2024).

51. Ibid.