In the age of gig economy and digitalization, it is much easier to turn one’s passion into an income. The freelancers market in on the rise and people can work from home. They find clients on their own or cooperate with professional services like https://essaypro.com/. There are also many opportunities for those who want to turn their hobby or favorite thing into a job.
Luckily, it is possible now to earn money by doing what you love. And this also applies to gaming. The global gaming industry is on the rise, with the market reaching $115.8 billion as for 2018. The eSports is also on the highest now, with $1.1 billion revenue worldwide. So it is only natural to want to monetize your passion for video games. And here are several ways one can do it.
ESports and Professional Gaming
Becoming a professional player is an amazing opportunity. First of all, the salaries in gaming are sky-high. Secondly, there are many opportunities even after passing a certain age. Leading eSports teams make millions a year, for example, the leader of 2019 is OG that earned $15.82 million in 2019. The tournaments also offer great prizes, for instance, in 2019, the international overall prize poll reached $34.33 million.
That’s why starting a pro gaming career is a good option. But how to do it? Well, first of all, one needs to choose a game to train the skills in. The best idea is to choose the one you actually enjoy as it will keep your motivation up. Train, gear up, practice and join the community. After you’ve reached a certain level of skill, you can register for a local or international tournament.
Of course, the first tournament probably will not be a huge success. As the talent pool and the level of skills ,there is going to be impressive. Yet, it is a great way to start and compete. It also allows making friends along the way, as well as good connections.
The best players are noticed by the industry’s leaders. They get offers to join the team or to promote a product or company. Sponsorships and team member salaries are the main part of the income of eSports players. Of course, it takes a lot of time and practice to master the game and find a unique strategy. Yet, it is worth it if you enjoy competitive gaming. For inspiration, look at the list of the highly paid pro gamers in the world.
It doesn’t mean that anyone can become one of the top players in the world. But even being a good one in a team is enough to have a sustainable income.
Live Streaming
This is another popular way to monetize gaming now. There are several popular services, like Twitch, YouTube, Facebook Live, or others that offer streaming opportunities. Anyone with almost any level of skill in gaming can start their streams. You don’t need to be the best in the game to gather an audience.
However, it takes other efforts. One needs to entertain the audience with interesting gaming strategy, interaction, and humor, or drama. It is essential to communicate with the audience and make gameplay interesting for them. The more audience you’d have, the more you can earn. The major income way is sponsorship or donations from viewers.
To become a popular streamer, one should create engaging content and do it regularly. It takes time and practice, yet it gives more freedom in comparison to professional gaming.
YouTube Channel
One of the best examples of gamer success on YouTube is Pewdiepie. He has been uploading for 10 years and remains one of the biggest channels on the platform. Yet, he is not the only one; many gaming channels get great revenue for their content.
Creating a YouTube account requires the same efforts as live streaming. One needs to make compelling and exciting content and post it regularly. And it takes effort to edit videos. On the other hand, it gives several income options, such as ad revenue and sponsorships.
5 Other Ways to Earn with Gaming
Here is an idea – you can combine all of these three options. You can be a professional gamer and post videos or stream. It might be quite challenging, but worth giving a shot. There are also other side options to create sustainable income.
- Merchandise. If you have substantial following, you can make merch and sell it to the audience. It will also endorse the engagement of the followers.
- Blogging. Not in video, but writing. Blogs also add a pretty good income when done right. And you have something to share with people – for example, gaming strategies, techniques, and secrets. And as a professional, you know what people are looking for. If writing is enjoyable, one can start a blog making great content and benefit from it.
- Audience support. There are several ways for the community to support a creator, whether it is Patreon or direct Twitch donations. If it feels comfortable with you and will help to create higher-quality content, you can consider such an opportunity.
- Selling old accounts or characters. If you have old accounts that you don’t need, you can sell them to other players via services like PlayerAuctions. It is not the biggest part of an income, yet it is a great way to add something to a budget.
- Side job as a game tester. It is fun and exciting to try something new before it releases. And you can profit off it.
In Summary
Now is the best time ever to turn a passion into a full-time job with a sustainable income. And gaming is one of the fast-growing industries, so it is worth trying. There are many options, like being a part of a pro team or compete on your own. You can also create online content and gather a great following and, as a result, attract sponsors. It takes time and practice, but when you are working on something you truly love, it is only fun.