TECH NEWS – While Valve regularly hands out rewards during special events, Steam users may soon have a more consistent way to earn incentives.

According to a recently published patent, Steam could make Discovery Queue more profitable for users. Discovery Queue has been quite a popular feature for players to find hidden gems. It looks like the new feature will attract even more people with the incentive.

Discovery Queue was added a decade ago and has proven to be extremely useful for developers, especially those with smaller scale projects.

It recommends a list of games that users should try. Even those that have been specially selected for them. Each user’s own personalized queue is influenced by the genre they play the most. As well as what kind of wishlist you keep and many other facts determined by Steam’s algorithm. Developers often use multiple strategies to get their game to as many users as possible using Discovery Queue. Because it’s essentially a way for them to promote their game for free.

According to a new patent filed by Steam, users may soon receive rewards for using the Discovery Queue. Several components will determine what items players will receive. Based on the defining components, Incentive, Content, and Bonus items, Steam creates a list of recommended items for users and an associated reward.

A revamped Discovery Queue on Steam can benefit both users and developers

It should be noted that rewards may not necessarily be tied to a game per se. The patent details that a specific category of content can be incentivized. For example, players can get bonus items for exploring different genres, such as action, survival, or strategy.

It should also be noted that these objects will also be personalized, as certain preference factors will determine whether or not they are shown to the user.

It should be mentioned that this idea is not entirely new. After all, Valve has already rewarded users for completing the Discovery Queue during the Steam Awards. However, the main difference is that multiple factors appear to play a role in this intended function. It will be tied to individual items instead of the entire queue.

This feature should be a welcome change for both gamers and developers. Rewards would attract more users to the feature. And developers would get more visibility. Regardless, many patents never actually materialize. We’ll see if this feature sees the light of day…

Source: GLF