BBC News - Valve allows PC game-sharing via Steam Valve is to let Steam users share the video games with friends and family members. The "Family Sharing" initiative will let a user of the Steam service share their library of games across up to 10 other devices. Other people will be able to play the titles, store their own saved games and earn their own in-game achievements. Valve said a small scale trial of the sharing system would start in mid-September. Screen time In an explanation, posted to the Steam website, Valve said free sharing would be enabled when someone authorises a computer to access their games. Other Steam members can request authorisation if they see that a friend or other family member owns a game they want to play. However, said Valve, players will not be able to play the same game on the same account at the same time. Shared libraries can only be played by one person at a time. Co-ordination and synchronisation of saved games and other achievements would be carried out in the Steam Cloud, said Valve. If the owner of a Steam account starts playing a game already being played on a separate, authorised machine, the person borrowing that game will be given a few minutes to either buy the game for themselves or quit. Sharing will give people access to almost any game stored in a Steam account not just those titles made by Valve. Valve said not all games would be eligible for sharing as "technical limitations," which might include separate subscriptions, might stop some being made available. Anyone keen to use the sharing service can sign up via Steam. Valve spokeswoman Anna Sweet said the sharing service was launched in a direct response to user requests. Valve is well known for video games such as Half Life, Left 4 Dead and Portal, but millions of gamers use its Steam service to buy and manage their library of games. Steam began as a way for people to manage games on PCs but Valve has been working to expand its reach. Steam has a Big Picture mode that makes it easier for games to be played on big screens. In addition, it is known to be working on a Steam box, a cut down console that gives people access to their account and lets them play games on a TV. Rob Crossley, writing on the CVG games news site, said family sharing was "likely to now be a key feature of the long-awaited Steam box." Also, he pointed out, the sharing idea was very similar to one Microsoft floated for its forthcoming Xbox One console. The idea has now been withdrawn but Microsoft has hinted that it might return.