If you are an active user of Valve's Steam PC game download service, you might have received a free game or two from a friend as a gift. However, sometimes you might get stuck with a game code that you don't want to play. Now, Valve is giving its users a chance to trade gifted games with other Steam users via its new Steam Trading feature. As announced on the Team Fortress web site, the beta version will also work with in-game items from Valve's free-to-play multiplayer shooter.
In order to access the beta, Steam users can use the client to click on the Settings listing. They can then find the Steam Trading Beta selection under Settings. Once it's selected, users can participate in the beta. Steam users can then take any games they have received as gifts, or received an extra Steam game code, and apply them in the new trading service. The games must not be added to a user's Steam game library; if they are, they cannot be used in the trading service. In addition, Team Fortress 2 in-game items like hats, weapons and other items can also be used for trading for Steam gift items.
Valve has posted a FAQ that answers more questions about the Steam Trading service. One of them is that other games could offer in-game items to trade in the near future. It states, "We’re working now with other game developers to incorporate both Trading and Inventories. Portal 2 should be reasonably soon and we hope to have several third-party games in the next few month."
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