When people think of making money while gaming, their first thought is usually to play casino games. While those are great options, there are also other exciting ways you can turn your eSports and video gaming fascination into money in your pocket. Live Streaming
Today, many gamers have turned their love for playing into a career. People like Ninja, xQc, or Timthetatman make millions of dollars every year from simply playing their favorite games and being good at them.
If you think you’re talented enough that people will pay to watch you dominate in a video game, there is potential to make money. However, the streaming platforms are overly saturated, with too many gamers trying to get noticed.
Educate People
If you know the ins and outs of popular games like Overwatch, you can make a living teaching people everything you know. Impart your wisdom upon others via Youtube videos or gaming tutorials.
You can become a gaming mentor, and if you enjoy teaching in any capacity, this may be the best path for you to make money through gaming. You can charge people for tutorials or partner with Youtube to deliver content.
Get Paid to Talk
Maybe teaching isn’t your thing; it does require a lot of patience, after all. But if you still want to flaunt your gaming knowledge and try to make some money off it, you can host a gaming podcast.
Podcasts are huge right now, and unfortunately, another over-saturated platform. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be successful. If you can establish an audience and curate a unique tone along with juicy gaming information and topics, it’s possible to get sponsors and start getting paid to chat.
Get Sponsored
Platforms like Youtube or Twitch will pay for you to exclusively stream on their platform. This is if you have a massive following or are extremely talented in the arena. Companies will support you as you enter tournaments and do live streams.
Getting sponsored can be difficult, as you need a solid platform before someone signs a contract with you. A combination of a presence on social media and in the eSports arena can help get you noticed.
Win
The eSports arena holds many competitions and tournaments with massive prize pools. It’s feasible that, if you’re talented enough in the arena, you can gain momentum and win prize pools.
For this method to make you money, you genuinely have to be better than average at your game, and it’s best to join smaller competitions first and work your way up. But once you get to the big leagues, the prize pots can be tens of thousands of dollars, and some gamers make a livable salary exclusively through tournaments.
Sell Your Stuff
This is not a suggestion to sell your PC and quit the gaming world. But what you can sell is your account or in-game items. There is a whole market on the internet for valuable items in games, and if you’re good enough to acquire these regularly, you can make a profit.
Another option is to sell your accounts. This can be hard for gamers to do, as they work so hard to build skills and inventories, but you can make a pretty penny if someone wants exclusive access to your hard work.
Write About It
If you love talking about games as much as you love playing them, you can become a gaming journalist. It’s easy to start, just write about gaming topics you’re passionate about and post them online.
The tricky part is getting sites to publish and compensate you for your work, but if you have interesting takes on a game and a unique tone of voice, you can be successful.
Be a Guinea Pig
This one isn’t as bad as it sounds! No medications or sleep studies are involved. However, you can be the first to try out new games and give feedback. You can work as a game tester on a remote, contracted basis or as a full-time employee, depending on the route you take.
Testing games is the perfect job for someone that loves gaming but gets nitpicky about bugs or gaps in the game. You can be the one to remedy these issues before the game goes public; you’d be a hero!
The Bottom Line
Now you see the many ways you can make cash through the eSports world. If gaming is your true calling and you are talented and knowledgeable, you can turn your love of gaming into a lucrative career.
