Any hardcore gaming fan will agree that their passion for icing enemies on Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 and reaching Ultimate Prestige on Smite will turn out to be lucrative. And that’s mainly because of the gaming industry’s exponential growth over the years. What started out as a way to kill time has turned into a multi-billion dollar sector.
You don’t have to be an expert player to make a living from gaming. You just have to know about the ways you can turn this source of leisure into an endless income stream. Here are a few things you can try out:
- Stream your playthroughs
Back then, recording yourself playing video games was done out of fun. With the growing popularity of platforms like Twitch and YouTube’s live streaming service, nearly anyone can share their playthroughs and get paid for the views and likes they get. However, succeeding in this niche won’t come easy considering how saturated the field has become. The only way you can cut through the noise is to develop an original gimmick and provide your audience with a more innovative and engaging streaming experience.
- Start a YouTube Channel
If you are not necessarily into livestreaming your gaming sessions, then you might as well try your luck with setting up your own YouTube channel. Although this too is a saturated market, you could succeed if you offer valuable information about a specific genre. If you’re into real-time strategy games, the content you will publish might include reviews of past and upcoming games in the genre. You can also explore the lore behind popular titles like Warhammer and the Command and Conquer series.
- Work as a video game tester
Perhaps the most exciting way to make money as a gamer is to get a job in the industry itself, particularly as a tester. In addition to fields like art direction and programming, testing video games also plays a crucial role in the production process by helping developers detect errors and gauging how well these games engage the target audience. This is the reason why testers make more than $46,000 each year just by sitting down and taking notes. It’s anyone’s dream job and it should be yours, too!
- Buy and sell video game items
Metaverses like Sandbox and Decentraland are the closest things we get to a virtual marketplace where people would buy concert tickets, luxury goods, and even digital real estate. However, they have yet to catch on in the gaming community as gamers don’t like NFTs or have little to no knowledge about the technologies that run these metaverses.
However, one thing remains: The buying and selling of in-game items using real money are still popular even among younger gamers. Whether it’s weapons, skins, and cosmetics, you can trade and sell items that could fetch thousands of dollars in value in online marketplaces. Just be sure to transact in legal platforms such as the Steam Community Market.
