Ever wondered how you could make money playing games that you love all day? Yeah well, as it turns out it isn’t as hard as you may have thought! In fact there are thousands of people all across the world making a living by playing video games and some of them are making quite a bit in fact! I’m not talking about earning some pocket money here, these guys are legitimately earning hundreds of thousands through their gaming prowess.
This guide should hopefully give you some idea of all the different paths you can take in order to try and make some money through playing video games!
Professional Gaming:
Professional gaming is one of the big earners although it is without a doubt one of the hardest to break into. Games such as League of Legends, DoTA 2, Starcraft 2 and counterstrike all hold tournaments in which teams of professional gamers compete in for a chance to win, in some cases, hundreds of thousands.
Professional gaming is one of the hardest things to get into and in order to win any form of money you must be willing to practice for hours on end in order to compete even at the lowest levels. Pick one game that you are skilled in and try to find some team mates to train with and compete in the amateur level competitions and work your way up to the big leagues.
Become a YouTuber:
If you are at all into gaming then you will have surely heard of some of the big gaming YouTubers out there that make video reviews and commentaries on the games that they play. These guys have worked hard in order to build their subscribers into the hundreds of thousands on YouTube and through the YouTube Partnership they are earning good money for every video that they put up.
YouTubers are reported to be earning roughly $2 per 1000 views on their videos and some gaming YouTubers have already recorded millions of views across all their videos.
If you have a good personality and make interesting videos then you are definitely in with a chance of making money this way, however these videos have got to be quality so that people are tempted to subscribe and continue watching your other videos. If you post utter rubbish then people aren’t going to be inclined to click that subscribe button!
If you would like to know how to record your console gameplay then you should check our guide here: Recording Xbox/PS3 Gameplay.
Pros: Great earning potential, can build a fan base
Cons: Quality videos take a lot of hard work, must be original/like-able, video capture software is required
Streaming Gameplay:
This isn’t that much different from becoming a YouTuber, but it does warrant a mention as many people use this independently of YouTube in order to make money.
Sites like twitch.tv allow people to stream a video feed online to anyone who wants to watch and if you are a partner on the site then you can choose to display ads throughout your video stream to everyone watching. Professional gamers usually use this option to stream their gameplay to their fans and make money whilst they practice for their next big events.
Pros: Good earning potential, doesn’t require you to edit your videos before putting them up
Cons: Requires a very good internet, must be able to continually keep your audiences entertained for however long you stream.
Become a Game Tester:
Game testers are people who get paid to test new games for any bugs, glitches as well as give game studios input back about their new products. These are usually entry level jobs for most game development studios and can get your foot in the door if you are wanting to go onto the whole game development side of things as well. This is classed as an actual job and you will have to get your CV out to a lot of different game development studios in order to become one. However, should you get a job as a game tester then you will get first hand knowledge of what new games are going to be coming out on the market and you may be able to get your own input in on the development of the game.
Pros: First hand access to brand new releases, Salary based, may have input into the games development, good for people starting out in game development
Cons: It’s hard to find a job in the studios, must be able to rigorously test games
In-game Items:
Ever seen the gold bots in big MMOs? You can’t walk through any city in World of Warcraft without being spammed by them these days and the same is true in any game which has a persistent economies. Farming for in-game items in games like Diablo 3 and selling them for real world money is precisely how some gamers are earning their livings.
Pros: Some in-game items are worth a hell of a lot of money in real life
Cons: Economies in games can be dangerously unstable and you have no real control over how you earn your money
Final Word:
Making money playing games is very hard to get into initially so I would like to take a minute to wish any aspiring gamers out there all the best and if you do make it big thanks to the help of this guide then I’m sure we could figure out a way for you to pay us back!
