No, Steam existed for a while before HL2. It was used for Counter-Strike 1.5, over a year before HL2 came out. Its initial purpose was for anti-cheat and anti-piracy. There was no inclination to block secondary market sales there.
What you’re describing there is anti-piracy mechanisms, not resale market blocking, which is indeed something Steam was built to tackle.
No, Steam existed for a while before HL2. It was used for Counter-Strike 1.5, over a year before HL2 came out. Its initial purpose was for anti-cheat and anti-piracy. There was no inclination to block secondary market sales there.
What you’re describing there is anti-piracy mechanisms, not resale market blocking, which is indeed something Steam was built to tackle.