For the longest time, parents saw their kids playing video games as a waste of time. However, in the 2010s, gaming has slowly transformed into a money-making endeavor that can be most lucrative if individuals play their cards right. Moreover, various avenues exist regarding how one can make money by playing video games, and the number of options keeps expanding. What follows is an analysis of several of the currently most popular picks below.
Trading Digital Items
Massively multiplayer online role-playing games, better known as MMORPGs, did not invent the concept of in-game item trading, but they undoubtedly popularized it. The best example of an MMORPG that has attained a vast user base thanks to its item classes is RuneScape. The gold featured in this game can get mined by players, which leads to experience accumulation.
Those that wish to profit from their RuneScape gameplay can sell their gold deposits at sites like RPGStash.com. Brandon Fisher, who goes under the online moniker Moltrinex, is the player that has profited the most from his RuneScape exploits, as he managed to sell his accumulated RuneScape gold for $1.57 million.
Streaming Gaming Sessions
Those that surfed the internet per-2010 likely remember Justin.TV. The ancestor of Twitch. It was created in 2007 and allowed anyone to broadcast live. Unfortunately, in the first years of its existence, it primarily got used by nefarious individuals who illegally aired sporting events through it. In 2011, its gaming section got rebranded as a new site called Twitch, and that platform’s rise ignited a gaming revolution.
According to Dot Esports, today, some of the most popular streamers make around $1,000 per minute of content. Starting streamers can generate half of that after their first year. xQc is a famous streamer with an average daily audience of up to 50,000 viewers. Per reports, he has generated close to $9 million through his Twitch activities, from sponsorships and subscriptions. Some People who play games of chance online have also made loads from streaming their gambling sessions. Roshtein is a prime example. These also appeal to gamblers because top paying casinos are beginning to feature video game-style bonus rounds on slot games that pay huge if you complete a specific mission.
Competing in Online Tournaments
Competing in online tournaments does not necessarily mean playing in organized competitions on a desktop computer or a console. No. That gets reserved for the sub-heading below this one. Mobile game apps like 21 Blitz and Pool Payday, available to Android and iOS users, offer multiplayer tournaments with cash prizes redeemable via PayPal, ApplePay, and other methods. These are pieces of dedicated software that offer simple gameplay and small rewards of around $30 to the first-place finishers in their contests.
Participating in Gaming Leagues & Live Events
In 2021, tech consulting firm Activate claimed that over 250 million people watched eSports events globally. Statistics show that the average audience of eSports competitions now continuously surpasses viewership numbers generated by sporting leagues such as the NBA and MLB. The games that mainly get featured in top-end eSports competitions are Counter-Strike Global Offensive, League of Legends, Dota 2, and FIFA. While the most-watched tournaments around are the Worlds Championship and the International.
The biggest money winner in eSports history is Johan “N0tail” Sundstein with $7.2 million, primarily won on Dota 2. On average, salaried gamers earn between $4,000 to $5,000 per month. Sponsorships are an essential part of this sector and a vital aspect of how professional gamers make money.
Create Walkthrough Videos
Walkthrough videos are tutorials on how to play a given game. However, some people like to watch them purely for the entertainment value they provide, having no interest in their informative content.
It may sound a bit bizarre, but gamblers can earn money by explaining to others how to beat specific games and uploading those videos online. FightinCowboy is a YouTube channel with over a million subscribers. It primarily posts walkthrough content, and many of the channel’s videos have over a million views. Through multiple YouTube analysis tools, its owner rakes in more than $100,000 from YouTube ads alone.
Testing Games
Quality assurance is a critical part of every product release. That holds particularly true in this day and age, where the number of options in every field is vast, and everyone is supercritical. Companies operating in the gaming industry face heavy scrutiny from customers, as video games have a long lineage of hitting the market while still being buggy. Hence, entities operating in this sector seek to ensure that they can meet deadlines while still releasing quality products. They do that by employing video game testers.
Platforms like iGameLab, VMC, UserTesting, Beta Bound, and Beta Family pay up to $15 an hour for gaming QA specialists.
