If you like playing multiplayer/co-op games, you can try to make friends in the game, add each other on steam friends and play those games togeather.

If you prefer playing nothing but solo games, then you dont really have a need to add friends.

引用自 Rhodocheila：

For context, I'm an older gamer and I don't have any steam friends.
I have some questions that might seem stupid. I am not sure if this is the place for this but...

How do you find Steam friends? What do you do with your friends on Steam? What am I missing by not having friends?

If you are a solo player, nothing much. Maybe yearly Merry Christmas and Happy New year comments on your profile. That's about it.

Basically friends are the ones you play with in games that have an online multi-player option.

Since I only play single-player games, I have a small friends group. Most of them are people I know from outside of Steam.

With friends on Steam you can invite them to play games with you and play games with them like TF2 and Left 4 Dead 2. You can make friends by playing games like Left 4 Dead 2 and TF2, CS2. Also there are threads here on the Steam discussions for finding friends to play with.

For example this thread for finding friends on Steam:
https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/discussions/forum/30/864973577904147767/

And in some games there is a few in Team Fortress 2, there are achievements which you need friends to get, example Ubercharge 5 of you're Steam friends in TF2 or be in a game with 5 of you're Steam friends or in Borderlands 2 revive a friend. So for some games you need friends to get certain achievements.

🫥

引用自 Rhodocheila：

What do you do with your friends on Steam?

I enjoy chatting, gaming, and viewing their Activity Feed updates.

Hello! For me, I enjoy checking my Activity Feed as well. I don't actively look for friends to play with when trying to add people but I like to see what they've been playing or what they're up to from time to time. I definitely like getting recommendations from their wishlists or purchases cuz I'm really interested in games, so yeah. Most of my friends in Steam are people I have had an interaction with outside of Steam before I added them here.

I've only recently tried looking for random people in the discussions and forums to add because I kind of want to see more activity in my feed haha. I like rating up any screenshots, reviews or posts in there. Sometimes there's the occasional interaction in the comments or chats too. It's nice.

引用自 Rhodocheila：

For context, I'm an older gamer and I don't have any steam friends.
I have some questions that might seem stupid. I am not sure if this is the place for this but...

How do you find Steam friends? What do you do with your friends on Steam? What am I missing by not having friends?

"Friends" are not actual friends (altough they could be) but actually contacts that are somehow relevant to you. Some games work better when you have "friends" in your list as you can see their game and join them or invite other people to join you.

If you don't have anybody you want to invite in real life then I guess the best way to find those contacts would be thru games that you play or will be playing in the future.