Video games are exciting and fun. They stay that way even when we turn them into a job. And for some people, there is no better job than playing video games and being paid for it. Here’s how you can get to the point where you’ll earn your first paycheck from playing games.
How to make a reliable income as a gamer?
The gaming industry is on the rise. Esports, popular culture and more pro gamers that appear every year make this field difficult to excel at.
If you want to make it on the gamer scene, you’ll need to mark off all of the necessary boxes and give it your best.
Also, you’ll want to be familiar with as many online money-making sites as you can. These resources will help you market your skills and make money from them.
Find a game you are good at
This is the most important thing you’ll need if you want to make money as a gamer. Look for a game that you like and that you’re good at and practice it to perfection.
You can branch out later and introduce other games to your repertoire, but it’s important that you master one game that you like.
The best option is to find a popular game that you like and practice it. But, this is not the only way. Make sure the game you choose is not completely unpopular or niche.
Embrace the grind
Don’t be turned away by the grind. You’ll need to practice a lot to become good at the game. Figuring out every aspect of a game comes slowly and with a lot of grinding.
The good news is that this will help you create more content and improve your gameplay. The bad news is that it will take a long time. At some point, you will feel bored. This is why it’s important to find an interesting game to practice in the first place.
Learn from the best
Only the selected few were born with the gift of talent for gaming. And even they needed to learn some tricks from those that came before them. You shouldn’t be afraid to do so, as well.
Study pro players and learn from their successes and mistakes. Imagine how you would do things differently and why. Then test out your theories.
There are hundreds of thousands of hours of material online that you can watch and study the techniques that the pros use.
Don’t focus only on their gameplay, but also on how they built up their online presence and what they did to become popular.
Invest in good gear
The saying goes: “A craftsman is only as good as their tools”. This also relates to gaming.
You won’t be able to compete with other gamers unless you have good equipment.
If you plan to make money as a gamer, you won’t just need a good computer setup. You’ll need to be comfortable, as well. So, don’t spend all the money on a processor and RAM. Invest in a good chair and peripherals.
Investing in the proper equipment will be difficult if you don’t have a source of income.
Since most aspiring gamers are high schoolers or students. You can check out some easy ways for students to make money online on Survimo and start earning income for your gear.
Sign up for tournaments
Testing your skills against others is important if you want to succeed. This is why you should apply to as many tournaments as you can.
It will give you a chance to test yourself, improve your game, and let the world know about you.
Don’t get disheartened if you fail. Even if you don’t get to the spot that you hoped, there’s always a different tournament out there.
Find a gimmick that works for you
If you want to make money as a gamer, you need to find something that will separate you from the rest. It could be a certain playstyle, a funny streaming method, or playing on a certain platform.
Whatever you do, you need to have some aspect that will make you memorable and interesting as a gamer.
Establish an online presence
Making money on the internet is more than having a set of skills and sticking to it. You’ll need to get noticed if you want to have any success.
Many techniques will help you get noticed and establish an online presence.
- Cool nickname – many pro gamers of today started with a different nickname than they’re using right now. Your gamer tag needs to be recognizable and fitting for what you’re playing.
- Streaming – sharing your gameplay with the world is a great way to get fans, especially if you’re a good player and an interesting speaker.
- Cover many channels – streaming is the best way to get followers, but posting videos on YouTube will also get you fans.
- Respecting your fanbase – your fans are what make you famous and recognizable. Treat your fans right.
Work with other gamers
To get to the top, you’ll need the help and support of others. This is why you should network with gamers to work and grow together.
Organize crossovers, play with other people and have fun. Remember that reaching the top is meaningless if you don’t have friends with you.
Ways you can make money as a gamer
Once you cover all of the items we mentioned above, you can focus on establishing your gaming career. Many careers cover the gaming industry. Not all of them include playing games for money, but all provide ways you can make money as a gamer.
Coaching
Are you a great gamer and a good teacher? Do you know how to transfer your vast knowledge to other aspiring gamers out there? If the answer to these questions is yes, then you can make money as a gamer by coaching other aspiring gamers.
You can charge by the hour, or coach entire teams and reap the rewards from their success. Some gaming coaches even go with their teams to international tournaments. So you can get a chance to travel and improve your game.
Writing guides
You can make money writing guides if you have good knowledge of gaming mechanics. It will help if you know how to play more than one game.
Writing guides is not an easy job and you won’t make as much money from it as you would from steaming. But, you can do it as a side hustle and improve your online income.
This can also be another way for you to improve your online presence and let the gaming world know you’re out there.
Video game reviewer jobs
If you are very familiar with many games and like doing research and writing, this is the job for you.
Many video game journalists get pre-released versions of games to test them out and review them. This is a huge upside of the job since you’ll get a chance to play a new game before everyone. It is also interesting to be a part of a new game hype if it is good.
You can earn money as a gamer journalist if you like to write and know how to do it. Or, you can make video reviews about games online and make money through Youtube or Twitch.
Speedrunning
This is a fun way to earn money as a gamer. It will take skill and knowledge of the game you are looking to speedrun.
Also, you will need a way to promote your speedrunning skills. YouTube or Twitch are good platforms to increase your online presence and show off your skills.
While this is a good way to make income online, you need to be an experienced gamer and to know your stuff. This is why the starting threshold might be a little high.
Game testing
An experienced gamer can make a lot of money by testing games before their official release. These are called Alpha and Beta game testers.
This job isn’t always paid but you will get a chance to practice and network with other gamers and game companies. This will lead to paid jobs in the future and it will improve your chances of getting hired and making money.
Game development consulting
Many game development companies hire gamers to help them design and improve their game. A game designer consultant can work on improving basic game mechanics. They also help design in-game encounters.
For this job, you’ll need:
- A lot of gameplay hours
- Experience with game mechanics
- Good communication skills
- Knowledge of some basic coding
- Knowledge about what gamers like and don’t like
- A problem-solving mentality
It seems like too many requirements for a job, and they are. This is a serious business that will help you make a lot of money as a gamer, but you will need to take it seriously.
Sell leveled accounts
The last method of making money by playing games is not exactly recommendable and “fair play”. But, people do it even so. This is a reliable way to make income and strong accounts sell for quite a pretty penny.
The most popular, and socially acceptable, games for which you can do this are World of Warcraft and Pokemon. This doesn’t mean that the accounts for many different games sell for less.
You should be careful when doing this, though. There are many scammers out there who will try to steal your account or personal information. If you want to sell leveled accounts, you can go through verified channels.