A Little Throwback
Do you recall the times when your parents were constantly nagging at you because you were spending so much time playing video games when you were a kid? They would constantly say that playing video games is a waste of time, won’t give you a good future and certainly won’t make you earn a lot of money. Your parents’ nagging is understandable as at that time, it did not seem like it was possible that people could possibly become successful by just playing video games. If you can go back in time right now and tell your parents that you CAN actually earn money by playing video games, you should do that.
The foundation of esports really set the motion straight back in 2011 when there was one esports tournament called “The International 1” or in short, “Ti1”. This tournament is hosted by Valve to hold tournament for the video game called “Dota 2”. It was one of the first esports tournaments to give a substantial prize pool to its contenders, making it a historic event. The competition attracted the attention of people all around the world because of the large prize pool it offered.
How To Earn Money Playing Video Games
Unlike a traditional job, the options out there to legitimately earn money by playing video games are limited. Here are the 3 common ways to earn money by playing video games.
Esports
The most common way to earn money by playing video games is by engaging in esports tournaments. You can finally put the hours you put into gaming to good use. The downside about this is that the games you play may not be common or mainstream enough to have a major esports tournament. Esports is only suitable for hosting competitive and multiplayer games. So, if you spend a lot of time playing single-player games, it is unlikely you will be earning money from esports.
The difficult part about an esports tournament is that one has to be extremely skilful to play with the best players around the globe who will also be participating in the tournament. Often, you will have to win in major competitions in order to get the fat stash of money.
Live-streaming video games
The much safer alternative to earn money by playing video games is by live-streaming video games on well-known streaming platforms like:
- Twitch (most popular streaming platform)
- YouTube
- Facebook Gaming
You won’t make any money right immediately just by streaming on the platform. Before you can start making money, you need a large following and a network of support. It’s possible to make money from donations (cash), subscriptions, sponsorships, and so forth. All of them are applicable to all streaming platforms, but the donation and subscription options may differ between platforms. That being said, this is often the case.
The great thing about live-streaming video games is that you do not even have to be a professional gamer to build a community. As long as you have a sparkling personality and are entertaining, people will come to your channel.
Making video game content on YouTube
As YouTube is the biggest online platform for video sharing, it has given many people the opportunity to build a career on this platform. If live-streaming is not your forte. You can consider making video game content on YouTube. After all, you will still be playing video games. The concept of this is similar to live-streaming, the difference is that you will not be doing this live. But, you have to keep in mind that it is not easy to grow on YouTube, as the market on YouTube is heavily saturated. With that, you will have to compete against your competitors by standing out such as creating something that no one has done before. You must have at least 1000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time in the last 12 months before you can start earning money. Additionally, once your channel is big enough, you will also receive sponsorships and affiliate links to earn extra income on top of the YouTube pay.
It won’t be easy
Even though there is an opportunity now to earn money by playing video games, we have to keep in mind that it is not as easy as it seems. First off, the 3 ways that were mentioned earlier have their own setbacks. For example with Esports, the pay is not stable and your income is solely based on tournament prizes and sponsorships. For live-streaming and content making, it is the same as starting your own business. It won’t be an easy ride when you first start out streaming and making content as you really need to do something extraordinary that can convince people that you are the person that they should subscribe to. With that being said, all of this will be worth it once you have risen to the top.
With today’s technology, it has given us many career opportunities that many never thought would become a job. With this, it has made many gamers’ dreams come through where playing video games is not a waste of time. So, the next time you get nagged by your parents that you are wasting your time playing video games, tell them that there are gamers who become millionaires by playing video games.
On a serious note, do play video games in moderation as it is not healthy to be playing video games the whole day. Make sure to do some stretching or exercise after your gaming session. Last but not least, if you have a plan to have a career in gaming, make sure to always have a backup plan if your journey did not go according to plan.
