Making money and playing video games! Two of the most fun things in life now go hand in hand. Are you ready to find out how?
If you called your parents today and told them you can get paid to play games, how would they react? In most cases, probably in disbelief! Until recently, playing video games has simply been a hobby at best.
We’re here to tell you that there are definitely ways to make money playing video games. Both through direct participation with games that pay real money, and through opportunities within the video games industry which pay its participants (hint: anyone can do this).
Now before we proceed to list out 5 ways you can do to make money playing games, take a look at this case study.
Case Study: PewDiePie
There’s a good chance you’ve already heard this name before. PewDiePie is a massive YouTube channel owned by Felix Kjellberg of Sweden. This young man has a following of 110M subscribers, and is estimated to be worth anywhere between $35 million to $55 million USD! How did he gain this? Through making videos of himself playing video games.
Obviously I’m not suggesting that just anybody could achieve what Felix achieved. But there is definitely enough money associated with the video game industry, where just about anyone can somehow get paid to play video games. Here’s 5 things you could do today!
1) Become A Video Game Beta Tester
There are many game tester jobs available today. This is a great way to start in the industry, and can lead to internal full time positions at large gaming companies too. These jobs can be found on the standard employment sites and websites of video game companies too – just keep an eye out and apply when they come up! Another way to gain these jobs is to build your social media brand around video games. After your brand becomes recognized and established in the community of gamers, companies would be coming to you with the offers.
However, be aware that these types of jobs are not necessarily exciting. A lot of the time, you would be playing through problematic beta-phase games and are responsible for reporting back problematic features of the game. This type of job is for anyone with an aptitude towards analytics and quality assurance.
2) Twitch Streaming
Twitch is a live-streaming video platform for content creators, to present their ideas to live audiences. In most cases, Twitch is used for gamers to share their gaming sessions while presenting themselves as personalities of interest. Those with attractive qualities (for example, great skills in particular games, or engaging humour in their presentations) typically grow larger audiences and fanbase.
You’re probably now wondering how to make money on Twitch. The way to do this is similar to how one would make money on Youtube. After a minimal threshold of fanbase is reached for the Twitch user, he/she may then choose to monetize their channel and thus show advertising to their audience. Advertisers and marketers would pay Twitch to show their ads, and Twitch would split the revenue with you as a partner.
3) Esports (Gaming Tournaments)
Esports, or electronic sports, is essentially competitive gaming. Like physical sports, esports is a competitive environment in which winners are most often determined by merit and skill. Both esports and sports have one thing in common – the professional league players are very well paid. Esport tournaments have astonishingly high prize pools. The recent “The International 2019” esport tournament had a prize pool of over $34 million USD!
To start your career in esports, you would have to find an eligible game to learn. Popular titles include Dota 2 and League of Legends – both of which are Massive Online Battlefield Arena (MOBA) style games. Once you have found a game you’re comfortable with, you would have to put in the practice hours as if you’re a competing athlete. Train your coordination and strategy skills, and constantly improve your knowledge of the game through self study. Not everyone can become a pro athlete and not everyone can make it in the esports world, but if you never try then you would never know your potential!
4) Youtube Content Creator
Youtube is a video sharing platform in which content producers can easily share their work globally. This is the platform in which PewDiePie grew his brand to massive success. Many video game content producers have since followed the same model – producing videos of themselves providing commentary and insight while playing video games. What we know is that viewers of this content typically stay engaged in the videos as if they’re playing the games themselves. This leads to high watch time and ultimately high exposure time to advertisements (read: more revenue generated).
We’ve created a guide to how to make money on Youtube. In brief, Youtube is a way of making money online by sharing videos on their platform, and showing advertisements to the viewers. Advertisers would pay Youtube for the delivery, and Youtube would pay the producer for the content. This is a low risk and potentially high reward way to make passive income online in 2021.
5) Games That Pay Real Money
Last but not least, you can play games that pay real money! There are games out there which pay real money to players who spend time on the platforms. A short list of these games could be found here.
This method is typically not as lucrative as the others, thus we listed it last. But surely it is a way to make a few dollars every month to help with the bills!
So Can You Get Paid To Play Video Games At Home?
Yes, most certainly! With the 5 ways described, anybody with a computer would be able to earn money playing games in 2021. The video game industry in the US alone, is estimated to generate upwards of 37 billion USD per year. With the right game plan, anyone could earn money by playing games somehow!
