Steam Trading Cards are virtual cards earned by playing games on Steam that can be combined into game badges.
Collect cards
Play any of the participating Trading Cards Beta games to get trading cards. Up to half the card set is dropped through game play, the other half is earned through your collecting prowess.
Craft game badges
Once you've collected a set of cards you can craft them into a game badge. Like the current badges, they are tied to your account and are shown on your profile. Unlike the current badges, crafting games badges earns you tradable items like emoticons, profile backgrounds, and coupons. Level up your badge by collecting the set again and earning more items.
Level up
All badges now have XP which contributes to your Steam Level, a summary of your badge collection. You can view someone's Steam Level by hovering over their avatar. Leveling up earns you non-tradable items like profile showcases, extra friends list slots, and more.
Joining the beta
If you'd like to participate in the beta, just join this group! We’ll send out email notifications (plus some extra invites) in the order of members joined.
Visit the update page for more details. Visit Steam Trading Cards Group's profile
sssssssssss
when you left
proximity taught me how to play better
fucker
- bershark, Review of Team Fortress 2 [July 15th 2012]