Punk

You don't really have to be an avid gamer to know (or at least to have heard) about Steam, the most popular and all-encompassing multi-player gaming distribution platform.

However great Steam may be, the built-in chat system is not exactly comprehensive. Not only that, but some of you out there might feel that chatting using the official Steam app is a bit cumbersome, and you might even prefer something a bit more convenient.

If this is the case, you'll surely be interested in Punk, a nifty Electron and Vapor-based application that allows you to chat with your Steam friends from the comforts of your computer desktop, within a distraction-free environment.

As you can imagine, in order to use this unofficial chat client, you must first ensure that your computer has an active Internet connection and add your official Steam credentials.

Once logged in, you're met by the app's non-impressive and straightforward user interface. Just as expected, all your contacts and conversation entries are displayed on the lefts side of the main window, while the right side is the place where you can actually write or receive messages.

Since Steam's chat is not exactly the most advanced environment out there, it's no surprise that Punk's functionality is also quite basic. For instance, there's no support for transferring files, viewing pictures, or for emojis, for that matter.

However, you're still provided with a few other options like, for example, you can change your name and status according to a few default templates. Right-click any ID from the list and you can view the associated Steam profile, send a trade request, remove the selected ID from your Friends list, as well as block the communication altogether.

All things considered, even though it won't impress, Punk is still a good application to have around as it's fairly easy to imagine how Punk may prove itself useful for users who often find themselves chatting on with other Steam users using the official desktop client.