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Sorry to ask ....but what is steam?

This is from Wikipedia: Steam

Steam is a digital distribution, digital rights management, multiplayer and communications platform developed by Valve Corporation. It is used to distribute games and related media online, from small independent developers to larger software houses. Steam also has community features, automated game updates, and in-game voice and chat functionality.
As of March 2011, there are over 1,250 games available through Steam,[4] and over 30 million active user accounts.[5] Although Valve never releases sales figures, Stardock, owner of Steam's competing platform Impulse, estimated that Steam has a 70% share of the digital distribution market for video games.[6]
Many major publishers have large catalogues available on Steam, including: Bethesda Softworks, Electronic Arts, Activision, and Rockstar Games.


Criticism

Regional restrictions and pricing

Some games purchased in one region become unplayable if user moves to another.
Steam allows developers and publishers to change prices and restrict game availability depending on the user's location. This can cause some games to cost more than retail prices, despite digital distribution removing the costs of manufacturing, packaging, design, and logistics.[85][86][87]
Valve also restricts game registration and playability to the buyer's country of residence. One example of this regional restriction can be seen where Valve uses Steam's authentication to prevent boxed versions of their games sold in Russia and Thailand, which are priced significantly lower than elsewhere, from being used outside those territories.[88]
Steam offers products in three currencies: US Dollar, Euro and Pound Sterling. The currency is selected automatically based on the user's location, and cannot be changed. Steam has been heavily criticized by European users for converting dollar amounts equally between US Dollars and Euros, despite Euros being worth more.[89]


Authentication

It is necessary to authenticate every Steam game online, whether purchased via Steam itself or installed via a retail disc, the first time it is played.[90] After the initial authentication, an offline mode allows games to be run without being connected to your Steam account.
According to the Steam Subscriber Agreement, Steam's availability is not guaranteed and Valve is under no legal obligation to release an update disabling the authentication system in the event that Steam becomes permanently unavailable.[91]

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