When trading was first introduced to TF2, most fans didn’t imagine it’d grow into a full-blown Steam economy, spanning multiple games, systems, communities and currencies. It’s pretty crazy, and sometimes I look at it all and just say “wow“. Don’t get me wrong – I say “wow” to a lot of things when I look at them (sometimes even when I don’t look at them), but Steam trading? That’s definitely something to say “wow” to.

I’ve always wanted to find out exactly how Valve managed to make everything come together and function in such a harmonious way. I’m also interested in how these gaming economies can interact with Valve’s monetization practices – or, to be more precise, the way Valve prices their games and services. Well, either Valve is spying on me or I have the most generic ideas ever, because Valve have come up with a way to enlighten us all regarding those exact topics!