Beyond this, a lot of Steam users are familiar with the paradox that Steam is now the opposite of piracy because Steam sales drive so many users to over-buy games just because they're on sale. This drives sales of back catalog releases and provides additional revenue that traditional box software products oftentimes do not capture.
The end result is many Steam users have vast libraries of games that they have either never even installed let alone played for more than 30 minutes. This was common with many of us that used to practice piracy, but now the excess is captured as some revenue rather than none.
>so many users to over-buy games just because they're on sale
I have to say that I'm actually kind of okay with this, at least for myself. I choose to view it as voting with my dollars to let indies and publishers know the types of game I'd like to see more of.
And, admit it, it's kind of pleasant to let your eye wander over the list of unplayed games and imagine how much fun they'll be when you someday, somehow find the time to play them (even when you know deep down that you probably never will). "Wanting is better than having" and all that. And the bonus is that they're all virtual and don't clutter up the house.
The end result is many Steam users have vast libraries of games that they have either never even installed let alone played for more than 30 minutes. This was common with many of us that used to practice piracy, but now the excess is captured as some revenue rather than none.