How to make money playing video games


Playing video games is a popular hobby nowadays. Sales of consoles continue to rise as Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo fill the markets with releases that people just can’t resist buying. Of course, for everyone dedicated to video games, there’s one thought uniting them all – “if only I could make money doing this.” Well, you can. There are several ways you can turn your gaming habits into money making jobs, and they’re not as difficult as you might think.

Become a livestreamer

Streaming sites like YouTube and Twitch have become incredibly popular with gamers over the last few years. They provide a platform for people to stream what they’re playing while delivering commentary or interacting with their viewers. The most popular of these users amass thousands of viewers for every livestream, and that racks up when you’re streaming videos every day.

Unfortunately, it can be challenging to stand out as a YouTube or Twitch star. The market is so saturated with people in your position that you need to offer something different to build up an audience. However, once you manage it, you’ll find the snowball effect coming into play.

The rate at which people will subscribe to and watch your channel will pick up, and that offers you several opportunities to start making money. You can either monetize your videos with ads or ask for donations from viewers. You might be surprised by how much people are willing to pay their favorite streamers.

Upload gaming related videos

Attracting that base audience can be incredibly difficult to do at first, so you need to put in a lot of work before you reap the rewards. On top of livestreaming regularly, it might be worth your while to create videos related to games in some way. Maybe they’re guides, walkthroughs or opinion pieces for certain games. Whatever they are, they can be an excellent way to show your passion and entice more people to your channel. Viewers are going to be interested in a streamer who is knowledgeable about the game they’re playing.

Try out competitive gaming

E-sports is still relatively new, but it’s definitely on the rise. PvP games offer a lot of opportunities for people to test their skills against each other and potentially walk away with some winnings. The more popular a video game is, the higher the prize is likely to be, although your competition will also probably be much tougher too.

When you become a pro at a particular game, you increase your chances of being recruited by an esports organization. If that happens, you have a greater likelihood of earning a decent salary from being a competitive gamer, although you might still be better off trying your hand at livestreaming. At the very least, that doesn’t require you to be the best of the best at a certain game.

Do some games testing

Yes, it is possible to be a video games tester. That is a job that really exists. However, if you’re hoping to be the person to try out all the latest AAA games before they hit the shelves, you’ve got quite a lot of work ahead of you.

When you’re starting off, your best bet is to work for indie and mobile developers who are less picky about the people they choose to test their games. The pay won’t be brilliant, but you’ll be earning money simply for playing games. If you develop enough of a portfolio, there’s a small chance you’ll get lucky and land a job with one of the major development companies. However, you shouldn’t set your expectations too high. Imagine how many other people would also jump at the opportunity to work for them too.

Playing video games isn’t going to make you rich in most circumstances, but that doesn’t mean it won’t make you any money. If you’re passionate and dedicated enough, it could even become a full-time career for you, although only time will tell on that one.

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