How You Can Make Money Playing Video Games

Photo by Caspar Camille Rubin on Unsplash

How You Can Make Money Playing Video Games

Video game playing can be a source of income, whether it’s through earning in-game gold or other monetary rewards.

There has never been a better moment to turn your passion for video games into a source of income than now, thanks to the popularity of Esports, Twitch, and professional gamers.

The best aspect is that it doesn’t require you to be an expert. Everyone from serious players to weekend warriors is getting in on the activity. I’ll explain how you can do the same by laying out practical strategies for making money in video games.

Coaching Video Games 

If you have a lot of experience and a genuine enthusiasm for a certain video game, consider becoming a coach.

Video game walkthroughs, screencasts, and classroom instruction are all viable avenues for passing on your knowledge to the gaming community. Think about how amazing it would be if you could get paid to impart your wisdom and experience to others.

Gamer Sensei is just one of several sites where you may find a tutor and negotiate your pricing (usually $30/hour and above) and schedule. Unfortunately, though, not every prospective coach will be selected. While this helps maintain consistent quality across the platform, it can be frustrating for newcomers.

You can also get clients in your area or post some teaching gigs on Fiverr for your preferred games.

Think like your ideal consumer when crafting your profile. Your pitch to a potential employer. Please tell me about your gaming credentials.

Your prices will range from low to high depending on your level of expertise, the game’s popularity, and the level of competition.

You can expect to pay anywhere from $20 to $200 an hour for the services of a professional game coach. 

Video Game Reporting

Writing about video games is another viable career path for gamers interested in making a livelihood doing what they love.

The duties of this position include:

• Covering gaming events such as e-sport tournaments.
• Reporting on current and forthcoming games.
• Providing evaluations of such games.

Here, you can make a living in two ways: as a staff writer for a gaming magazine or freelancer. Based on your level of expertise, published works, and portfolio, your annual salary might be anywhere from $26,000 to $100,000.

Video Game Tester

Countless hours of play testing are put in before a video game is published to the public. The time has arrived to put your extensive knowledge to use!

The value of knowing how a great game should function and sharing that information with the developers is high.

In addition, QA testers are employed by the vast majority of game development studios to catch any lingering faults with the games before release.

Stream Your Video Games on YT!

You can still find many gamers making money off YouTube by uploading gameplay videos. A growing number of YouTubers rely on the support of their subscribed gaming community to keep their channels up and to run.

Some gaming channels’ ad revenue per thousand views can reach $5. That can quickly pile up if you’re running a popular channel.

Making product suggestions and including your affiliate link in the video’s description is another prevalent way to generate money on YouTube. A commission structure is in place for people using your link to make a purchase.

Twitch Streaming

It’s no secret that Twitch is one of the most popular places to watch video games online. It’s become common practice for gamers to stream their gameplay on this service to monetize their online activities.

You can start raising money from subscription fees and patron payments if you attract a large enough following. Top streamers can easily pull in six or seven figures annually.

You need to be great at the game you stream or incredibly engaging to watch if you want to gain a large Twitch audience. Bear in mind that you are competing for your followers’ attention; therefore, the content must be engaging.

Crypto Gaming

A new source of income has emerged for the gaming industry thanks to the proliferation of cryptocurrencies and NFTs.

Games like Axie Infinity feature virtual pets players may nurture, trade, and battle with. The more you play, the more valuable your characters get.

In-game Axie Infinity Shards can be converted into fiat money via exchanges like Coinbase.

If you’re interested in keeping tabs on a developing market, crypto gaming is one to keep an eye on.

Create Guides For Video Games

A friend made six figures a month selling a Minecraft tutorial on Amazon a few years ago. He published the book independently and didn’t expect anyone to buy it, yet Amazon customers looking for “Minecraft” did.

Tutorials and guidelines for video games can help players of all skill levels overcome challenging content and become more proficient overall. It’s a different route to financial gain from your area of expertise.

Once the guidelines are complete, you may share them on social media, submit them to YouTube, or sell them as a digital course.

Even if this isn’t a video game, it could be instructive. Kat Norton made Excel courses for TikTok. The videos became viral, and she used the attention to develop a comprehensive Excel and Microsoft Office training course. (And then made a killing off of them!)

Build Your Own Video Game or App

Imagine how great it would be to have your hit app available for download from the App Store. Even if you have yet to gain a programming or game design background, you can still benefit from taking one of the many excellent online courses.

The developers receive a 70% of all app and in-app purchase revenue. A game with a large player base can generate a substantial sum through this.

Become a Top-Level Gamer

How likely is it that you will enter the workforce full-time? There are video game competitions worldwide, and the winners can win a lot of money.

Find a game in which you already excel, compete in tournaments (physical or virtual) to hone your skills, and strive to become even better.

In the gaming industry, only the top earners make millions, while the vast majority barely make ends meet. The average salary is minimal, but getting paid to do what you love is quite appealing, just as it is in the professional sports and acting industries.

Learn the Ropes and Compete at the Top of the ESports Scene

Video game competitions, known as ESports (short for “electronic sports”), are a popular way to win cash and other rewards.

Professional players typically face off against one another in a multiplayer mode, either as individuals or as teams. 

More and more game iGaming site companies like betshah online casino are starting competitions to showcase their games and provide funding for tournaments as the demand for esports grows among gamers.

First-person shooters, multiplayer online battle arenas, battle royale, fighting games, real-time strategy games, and sports games are common examples of games featured in esports tournaments.

There are a variety of e-sport franchises available if you have a knack for competition and a desire to advance state of the art in a specific game or format. Games like StarCraft, Street Fighter, Valorant, Overwatch, Super Smash Bros., and Valorant are among those that fall within this category.