steam games why expensive ?

[DampCat]

Packaging is a small part, you've got to heat the shops the games are in, pay rent, make a profit, pay the staff etc.

Yeah, except we were discussing Distribution. Also, you would have to heat the shops, pay the rent, make a profit and pay the staff even if Valve didn't release a packaged game and only used Steam to distribute. Those costs aren't down to Valve, they're down to people who want to make a living from selling games, so are not really related in any way.