Another Steam Beta is out, updates the Linux Runtime to help Steam Play Proton

Family sharing is the most useless feature in Steam, honestly. You'd expect it to lock only the game somebody is using, but it locks the entire library. So if my daughter is playing any Steam game, I can't use my entire library as long as she's playing. Might as well let her use my computer in the first place. *rolleyes*


Last edited by Kimyrielle on 11 December 2019 at 6:27 pm UTC

Quoting: KimyrielleFamily sharing is the most useless feature in Steam, honestly. You'd expect it to lock only the game somebody is using, but it locks the entire library. So if my daughter is playing any Steam game, I can't use my entire library as long as she's playing. Might as well let her use my computer in the first place. *rolleyes*

... But it has the advantage of letting you decide which games your kids can play, some form of parental control. This said, I understand your complaint, but personnaly, my play time begins when my kids... and my wife... are asleep. No judgment here, just a state of fact, in my personal case. :)


Last edited by Mohandevir on 11 December 2019 at 8:31 pm UTC

Quoting: KimyrielleFamily sharing is the most useless feature in Steam, honestly. You'd expect it to lock only the game somebody is using, but it locks the entire library. So if my daughter is playing any Steam game, I can't use my entire library as long as she's playing. Might as well let her use my computer in the first place. *rolleyes*

While I see your point, it is just not possible to do this without locking the whole library. People would start to give access to each others library and buy significantly less titles. When my buddy plays Skyrim yet again, I can play his whole library, and other friends can play yet another game all from this one persons library, I think I would finish some games without ever buying them, as would other people.

Valve can't check if you really just use this feature for "family", so they have to restrict it that way.

Quoting: KimyrielleSo if my daughter is playing any Steam game, I can't use my entire library as long as she's playing.

But if she's playing for too long, you can just run any game from your account and she will have 5 minutes to wrap it up before the game is killed.

im kinda on the fence here. I have paid hundreds of dollars for my games which on one device I can open an unlimited amount but my husband cant even play a different game I own without locking my whole library. now at least there is a work around for two people the owner of the game is offline and the "family" member can both play the same game. multiplayer compatible if it doesnt use steam mmp... if it does have to buy the game for him too. I think they should have it be one or two member family you can play the same game if you dont own it but other games in the library. or mabye allow families to actually have like a family account

Valve should really fix their adding non-steam game system, it creates broken links and also when you update the shortcut info it will generate another gameID folder, kinda crazy bug.

Quoting: KimyrielleFamily sharing is the most useless feature in Steam, honestly. You'd expect it to lock only the game somebody is using, but it locks the entire library. So if my daughter is playing any Steam game, I can't use my entire library as long as she's playing. Might as well let her use my computer in the first place. *rolleyes*

The only true reason is, where games support it, separation of saves and achievements. It is especially obvious in single-save games, or games without saves but with level unlocking. Other case: games with strong online social aspect, like leader boards and such.

And having two or more gaming PCs, i.e. the only case when the limitation matters, is not that common. I have two PCs and we solved it an easy way: we buy each game - or I gift a game - to the account of a person who will play it the most. So, my son owns Slime Rancher, though I play it too.

I just buy double of the games we actually play a lot with my SO. And I use family-sharing for the games I might try, but not play much. If I start playing them a lot (risk of locking the account up), I will buy my own. Or I might gift it to a poorer family member. But this the privilege of my background - poor family, but still in a EU country with not-terrible social security and decent job opportunities.

But as life gets more busy (in a good way), I have less time and interest for gaming and I haven't locked up my Steam library in a few weeks. Not that gaming cannot be healthy or desired, just not as much for me currently.


Last edited by chr on 12 December 2019 at 9:26 am UTC

Quoting: Mohandevir

Quoting: KimyrielleFamily sharing is the most useless feature in Steam, honestly. You'd expect it to lock only the game somebody is using, but it locks the entire library. So if my daughter is playing any Steam game, I can't use my entire library as long as she's playing. Might as well let her use my computer in the first place. *rolleyes*

... But it has the advantage of letting you decide which games your kids can play, some form of parental control. This said, I understand your complaint, but personnaly, my play time begins when my kids... and my wife... are asleep. No judgment here, just a state of fact, in my personal case. :)

I kind of agree with both of you, but I'm more on the side of "Family sharing is not what it should be". Say what you what about consoles (and I can say a lot), but all my friends own a PS4 and they swap games all the time. And if Sony (SONY!!!) are letting people swap games, I see no reason why Valve should have a stick up their b*tt about it. Surely there is a way to do this properly.

Also, you manage to get game time? Lucky man. I just lie in bed remembering the time when I could game as much as a I wanted :D. My wife casually mentioned I should maybe sell my PC and perhaps get a laptop, to which I reacted: "No! NO!!! This is a line we are not crossing!!!". Hey, I got to play for like 1 hour of Dark Souls: Remastered weeks ago, so yay... I guess... :D. At this rate I should be done for my daughters second birthday next August. I need a Switch...

Quoting: mao_dze_dunAlso, you manage to get game time? Lucky man. I just lie in bed remembering the time when I could game as much as a I wanted :D. My wife casually mentioned I should maybe sell my PC and perhaps get a laptop, to which I reacted: "No! NO!!! This is a line we are not crossing!!!". Hey, I got to play for like 1 hour of Dark Souls: Remastered weeks ago, so yay... I guess... :D. At this rate I should be done for my daughters second birthday next August. I need a Switch...

:D

My two daughters are two and a half, and I can't say it's gotten way better lately... :)