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Is it purely a 'gotta-have-them-all' mindset, or do they actually serve some purpose?

I notice that you are able to sell them on a community market. For a test I listed one, and someone bought it for 50p. Not exactly a huge amount, but I don't understand why someone would spend real money on them.

Am I missing something?

Are they redeemable for games or money off vouchers or something 'tangible' that I'm missing?

Rob
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2 Answers2

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Crafting a badge from a full set of cards gives

  • The badge (which gives Steam XP, which in turn gives Steam Level and therefore friend list slots)
  • A Steam Store coupon
  • An emoticon
  • A profile background

So, yes, there is quite some use to the cards. Whether or not it is worth it is an entirely different discussion.

shanodin
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user98085
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    Crafting badges for Steam Vouchers is probably the only real-world benefit. Unless you want to play the markets buying cards, crafting badges and selling the profile desktops and other goodies you get as a reward. – Neon1024 Jul 15 '13 at 09:28
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    @DavidYell I'd agree, but judging from what I've read, some people really need the friend slots as well, so, to each their own, I guess. :) – user98085 Jul 15 '13 at 09:32
  • @DavidYell . yes I suppose extra friend slots might have a real world use. – Rob Jul 15 '13 at 09:35
  • @Rob Most rewards are social fluff – Lyrion Jul 15 '13 at 13:22
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    Hey, I want this extra friend slot! – iber Jul 15 '13 at 13:25
  • What's this friend slot thing? Does Steam tell you how many friends you're supposed to have at max? – Zommuter Jul 15 '13 at 13:46
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    @Zommuter By default, there is a cap on the friends list at ... I think it's 250 people. Every level grants a few more slots. – user98085 Jul 15 '13 at 14:08
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    @FEichinger Gee, does one really need 250 permanent "friends"? – Zommuter Jul 22 '13 at 06:26
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    @Zommuter I have no idea, but I'm not gonna judge. It's what it is, simple as that. – user98085 Jul 22 '13 at 08:29
  • @FEichinger Agreed. It's still weird though... But then again, it's similar with Facebook – Zommuter Jul 22 '13 at 09:16
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    An unlisted benefit of crafting the cards is that doing so increases the chance of random card and booster pack drops - the higher your level, the greater a chance you have of getting such a drop. – Zibbobz Jan 03 '14 at 15:27
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I attempted to give a high level 3-question quiz about why you would care about Steam Trading Cards in this article:

  1. Are you excited about cosmetic customization elements in games? For instance, do you spend a long time getting your character’s face just right in Skyrim, or do you like picking out and wearing hats in Team Fortress 2?
  2. Do you find yourself comparing your Steam account to other people’s? For instance, do you look at their achievements or their profile and say “I am SO much better than them!”
  3. Do you think a few dollars is worth a minimal effort? If I told you that you could potentially make ~$5 today in Steam Store credit through Steam Trading Cards, would you be excited?

These correspond to the basic benefits of the cards:

  1. Cosmetic elements like badges, emoticons, and profile backgrounds
  2. Steam profile prestige, a few minor ancillary benefits (ie, friends list expansion)
  3. Perhaps a small chance of making a few easy bucks.

If those things are important, then you're likely to want to learn more about the trading cards, but if they aren't, you're probably safe ignoring them.

agent86
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  • From a purely economic perspective, I'm not sure it's really worth selling at the current (sub-$0.25) prices - they're kind of rock bottom given all the new supply. I probably wouldn't buy more, but collecting them is easy and free, so holding them seems fine. – agent86 Jul 15 '13 at 19:00