I can’t believe I’ve never seen or wondered about this before, but it turns out you can scrape data from Steam and find out how much the entire service’s catalogue would cost to purchase. And it’s...a lot less than you’d probably think?
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Chenggang Wang has a lil’ site called Buy All Steam Games, and it continually tracks the platform and finds out what the cumulative worth of the entire shopfront is. This means we can not only get historical data (the total value has more than doubled since 2017), but also check out the dips it takes when there’s a big sale on.
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That includes games, sure, but Wang clarified with me that it also counts DLC and anything else you can buy there too, like soundtracks and digital copies of art books.
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I’d have figured $538,000 would maybe get me half of the DLC for Crusader Kings II, not the entire store.
Note that the total figure is approximate, because the value is constantly in flux as new games are added and individual titles have specific sales or discounts unrelated to larger events like the Summer Sale.
As an expert in web scraping and data analysis, I can attest to the feasibility of extracting information from digital platforms like Steam to gain valuable insights. Chenggang Wang's initiative, the Buy All Steam Games website, is a fascinating example of harnessing such capabilities to understand the dynamics of the platform. My expertise in web scraping and data analytics allows me to elaborate on the key concepts involved in this article.
Firstly, web scraping is the process of extracting data from websites programmatically. In the context of the Buy All Steam Games website, Chenggang Wang is likely utilizing web scraping techniques to gather information about the entire Steam catalog, including games, DLCs (Downloadable Content), soundtracks, and digital copies of art books.
The article mentions the cumulative worth of the entire Steam shopfront, indicating that the website tracks and calculates the total value of all items available on the platform. This involves scraping data on individual game prices, DLC costs, and other related items. The ability to track historical data is crucial, as it provides insights into how the value of the Steam catalog has evolved over time.
The statement about the total value more than doubling since 2017 suggests that the Steam platform has experienced significant growth in terms of the content available and its corresponding value. This growth could be attributed to factors such as an increase in the number of games, the introduction of new features, and the overall expansion of the platform.
The article also mentions the fluctuations in the cumulative worth during big sales on Steam. This highlights the dynamic nature of the platform's value, which can be influenced by events like the Summer Sale. Web scraping allows for real-time monitoring of these fluctuations, providing valuable data on how sales events impact the overall value of the Steam catalog.
Additionally, Wang clarifies that the total worth includes not only games but also DLC and other items available on Steam, such as soundtracks and digital copies of art books. This comprehensive approach to data collection showcases the versatility of web scraping in capturing diverse types of information from a digital platform.
In conclusion, the Buy All Steam Games website exemplifies the power of web scraping and data analysis in gaining insights into the evolving landscape of digital platforms. By tracking and analyzing the cumulative worth of the entire Steam catalog, this initiative provides a unique perspective on the platform's growth and the impact of sales events on its overall value.
