Video games are an excellent escape from reality. Many people try their hand at them to relieve stress, have fun, and bond with their loved ones, but who knew gaming could also be a lucrative hobby? By taking an intentional path toward gaming, you can earn money while playing your favorite video games.
If that sounds exciting to you, read on for the five different ways casual and seasoned gamers alike can make money online.
- Become A Professional Gamer
Having exceptional gaming skills can be a source of income. Imagine quitting your 9-to-5 job and turning into a professional eSports athlete—it’s a dream come true for many! To start working toward that goal, take a look at these steps to becoming a professional gamer.
Money won from eSports tournaments is the most common income source for professional gamers. As of today, Dota 2 holds the largest prize pool for international competitions, amounting to more than USD$30,000,000 in 2019. Even if your team doesn’t emerge as the winner, as long you participate in the event, you won’t go home empty-handed.
Other sources of income that professional gamers can tap into are:
- Monthly salaries anywhere from USD$1,000 to USD$5,000 for participating in smaller tournaments
- Sponsorships from different brands, companies, and organizations
- Bonuses earned after matches for up to USD$20,000
- Online streaming earnings
Emerging as a pro gamer isn’t as easy as one may think. Most top gamers today spent years building their professional gaming career. If you don’t have a burning passion for gaming and you’re only after the money, it’ll be even more difficult for you to get to where you want to be.
- Online Streaming
There’s a huge earning potential in filming your gaming sessions live. By having a large audience during your video game streaming, you can earn between USD$3,000 and USD$5,000 monthly.
That sounds promising, right? But before you get to generate significant streaming income, it takes time, effort, and something unique about your gaming persona for you to achieve success. After all, online streaming isn’t merely about playing a game and inviting people to watch you; you also have to be an entertainer in order to maximize the benefits. Not to mention that your recording and gaming peripherals should also be reliable so you can deliver quality content.
Today, the most popular and profitable video game streaming platforms are Twitch, Facebook Gaming, and YouTube Gaming.
- Get Paid To Test Pre-Release Games
Gaming companies need to perfect their upcoming games before offering them to the public. How would they know about the glitches and bugs in their programs without hiring people to test them first?
Of course, they don’t hire just anyone for the job—they look for gamers with extensive knowledge about how gaming works so they can receive meaningful feedback and suggestions. Entry-level video game testers have an average salary of USD$53,000 annually, and years of field experience will allow you to earn USD$70,000.
Some gaming companies may require some educational background in related fields such as computer programming and game design. Also, you should possess the following to land a playtesting opportunity:
- Gaming knowledge and experience
- Utmost attention to detail
- Troubleshooting skills
- Good communication and writing skills
- Write Game Guides, Tutorials, And Reviews
If you have a talent for putting words together and a passion for gaming, you can make money by creating game guides, writing reviews, and coming up with tutorials for new gamers.
To start your gaming writing career, you can build your own website focused on gaming and collect your earnings through ads. Another way is to contribute your knowledge to established gaming companies and organizations and get paid for the content you provide.
Gamers leaning toward fiction writing can go on to become video game writers. This career revolves around generating storylines, characters and their backstories, and other essential information that would become the basis of the entire game. As a video game writer, you can bag more than USD$50,000 every year.
- Host A Podcast Channel
Aside from producing gaming content in textual form, why not launch your own podcast channel about gaming? If you don’t wish to either record yourself while playing games or work as a writer, creating podcasts is a popular means to reach your target audience and earn money while doing what you love.
Keep in mind, however, that it can be overwhelming to start a gaming podcast. Here are some tips to help you out:
- Think of a unique and catchy podcast channel name.
- Pick a concept and a premise, and stick to them.
- Gather your recording equipment: computer, microphone, audio interface, mixer, headphones, and editing software among others.
- Select a platform to publish your podcasts. Buzzsprout, Audacity, Spotify, and Anchor are some of the most widely used options.
Wrap-Up
When gaming enthusiasts first enter the video gaming landscape, most are usually after the enjoyment of it, and some may not even acknowledge that gaming as a career is realistic. Little do they know that gaming opens many doors to various earning opportunities.
On another note, the increasing popularity of the gaming industry has led to the increase in competition as well. This means you’ll have to be a remarkable gaming professional if you want to increase your earning potential.
