ErinAre you a video game enthusiast? How good are you at playing video games? You will probably agree that the only thing better than playing video games is getting paid to do it. You’re right. Professional gamers make a pretty penny doing what they love most. Some professional gamers make upwards of six and seven figures just playing video games. You, too, should make the most out of your video game expertise.
But how exactly do professional video gamers make money, and how can you earn playing video games? There are plenty of options. Here is an insight into ways how to make money playing video games.
How To Make Money Gaming:
- Testing New Games
- Develop Your Own Games
- Stream Games Online
- Coach Amateur Players
- Join an eSports Team Get into Tournaments
- Make and Sell Gaming Merchandise
Testing New Games
Game developers are always looking for accomplished gamers to test out their new games. As a game tester, you will be required to identify bugs and make suggestions on how to make the game better and more fun. You may be required to do the testing at a designated location and environment where the developers will monitor your progress.
Testing video games is a gig reserved only for accomplished gamers. This is because it is not as easy as most people would think. You have to test out every aspect of the game, which is tiring and time-consuming. You have to play with each character and go through every level. You also have to do a lot of matrix testing and make notes as you go. It is more work than it is fun.
Game testers can earn as much as $67,000 per year, but income varies depending on factors such as how many gigs you land. Other perks include getting to be the first person to try out the newest video games.
Develop Your Own Games
Game testers can make good money, but you will make even more money as a game developer. You can do this by starting your own game development company or seeking employment from major game developers such as Electronic Arts (EA).
As a solo game developer, you stand to take home all the profits from your games. Famous solo game developers include Markus Persson, the guy who developed Minecraft – Markus sold his gaming company to Microsoft for about $2.5 billion following the success of Minecraft. As an employee of a game development company, you can make an average salary of about $80,000.
In both cases, you will need to put in a lot of hours and have lots of expertise in coding and related fields. To avoid straying away from your goal, it is recommended to start out as an employee at a gaming company – you will be using the company’s resources, and you will gain a lot of experience that will help you venture out on your own later on.
Stream Games Online
You have probably heard of PewDiePie, one of the most famous and popular professional gamers. They guy earned a stunning $12 million streaming his gaming on YouTube.
It will take you a lot of time and dedication (and some luck) to get to where PewDiePie is, but you can also make good money live streaming your gaming experience. It is easy – just pick out a favorite and popular game and stream as you play. There are also several other ways that you can supplement your income:
- Reviewing games and trying to influence other gamers’ decision – like a professional critic
- Adding effects and commentaries to make games more fun and engaging
- Making tutorials to teach amateur gamers how to be better at different games
You should also try to be creative and innovative with your games to find more ways to make more money. The ultimate prize will come when game developers notice you and offer to sponsor you to stream some more. You will also make lots of money from ads on your channel.
You can also review the gaming gear you’re using while live streaming, or make recommendations. Gamers are always looking for a good gaming mouse, a keyboard made for gaming, a clear monitor for gaming, a fast gaming router, and more items to put together their gaming PC.
There are plenty of platforms where you can stream your games. The most popular are YouTube and Twitch, but you will find lots of other options on online gaming forums and communities. Everyone starts somewhere, so start now – PewDiePie started with simple commentary. When starting out, strive to get at least 1,000 active subscribers to get enough exposure. Never disappoint your fans and be consistent with your gaming by trying out new games whenever you get the opportunity.
Coach Amateur Players
There are lots of amateur players who wish they could be as good at their favorite games as you are. Many of these amateurs are willing to pay you to teach them how to be better.
Video game coaching will not make you a lot of money, compared to some other options on this list. On average, a video game coach makes between $20 and $200, depending on how good and popular they are. However, it is easy and you will get to interact with lots of players. And, if you are as good as top gamers such as PewDiePie, you will find people willing to pay much more for your services.
Coaching is more like a way to supplement your income. To become a coach, you first have to get noticed. This means making your name and skills known through avenues such as YouTube and Twitch.
Join an eSports Team
The first eSports team was formed in the late 90’s. There wasn’t much incentive for gamers to join these teams back then, as the pay was dismal. Today, however, gamers signed into eSports teams can make an average of $60,000, which is more than many other gaming avenues will make you. This figure has been steadily growing since the first team was created, so you can expect better numbers as time goes by.
It is not easy to get signed into an eSports team. You need to be really good at gaming, and the gaming community should know and recognize how good you are. Your online gaming profile should be stellar to even be considered. The secret is to pick one popular game and become really good at it.
eSports and major gaming leagues have scouts who are always looking for new gaming talent, so make sure that word of your expertise goes out to the gaming community. You should also approach teams and try your luck.
Get into Tournaments
You have probably heard of gamers winning million of dollars worth of cash prizes through popular gaming tournaments. This is considered the ultimate way to make money from professional gaming.
Game developers and associated third parties regularly hold major gaming tournaments. Gamers who qualify are pitted against each other to show off their gaming skills. The prizes vary in nature, but they mostly include gaming equipment and cash prizes. The highest cash prize to be paid out topped $1 million. The online gaming community also holds tournaments regularly, but the prizes are smaller.
Only the best gamers qualify for tournaments. There is a strict vetting process in which your skills will be put to the test. And, since you will be competing against other top gamers, you need to be good if you wish to take the prize. It is not all fun and games – there is a lot of pressure from your desire to win and attention from the crowd.
Make and Sell Gaming Merchandise
How cool would a t-shirt themed after Call of Duty be? Many gamers wouldn’t think twice about buying it. This opens up yet another opportunity to make money off your favorite games.
There is no telling how much money you can make selling gaming merchandise. There are a lot of options, including apparels, mugs, and virtually anything else that can be branded. If people like your merchandise, and if you get high demand, you can easily makes hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. However, you will need exceptional taste and great marketing skills.
You will need to keep up with trends to make the most off gaming merchandise. This means knowing which games are most popular and identifying the demographics. You will also need to reach out to gamers and people who you are sure would be interested in your merchandise. It would be prudent to market your merchandise on online gaming forums and buy ads on popular game streaming channels on YouTube and Twitch.
You should also consider collecting and selling in-game assets such as weapons and spells. There is great demand for these assets from gamers who are not patient enough to collect their own. However, they do not make much money, so this should be supplemental income – focus on income from real, physical gaming merchandise.
Keep in mind that your merchandise shouldn’t break copyright laws.
Final Word
The misconception that gaming is for lazy people is wrong. Gaming is a billion-dollar industry, and professional gamers make more money than many 9-5 employees. These are just some of the easiest and most lucrative ways to make money playing video games. Try them out and also use your creativity to come up with more ways to make money doing what you love most. Prove them wrong – have fun and make money playing your favorite games.
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