At the heart of gaming is socialisation. Games used to be something you would go out with your friends to play at an arcade, and in the era of home gamingand handheld consoles, you would think that the social heart of gamingis dead, but it just evolved and took a new form.

Now, online communities are available for gamers who come together and do everything you can do at an arcade, well except getting a soda together.Gaming, for most, is just a hobby, a way to relax and have fun. However, to an ever-increasing number of people, it’s a way of earning some income.

Although video games have come a long way, from arcade games and raster graphics to powerful consoles capable of handling 3D graphics, at the centre of gaming culture, still lies competition. No doubt, there are people better than others at games.

There are two types of gamers: the casual and professional gamers. If you have ever wondered“how to make money playing video games” your best bet is to become a professional gamer. However, casual gamers too, can make money playing games.

How to make money playing video games

Video games take up a lot of time to play;you begin to wonder how to make money playing video games and make the most out of time spent playing games.Is it possible to make money playing video games? The answer is yes. There are several ways of making money by playing video games, and we’ll look into a couple of them.

Video Game Tournaments:

Welcome to the world of Esports. This is the most obvious way of making money while playing video games. If you’re looking for how to make money playing video games, this is the most viable although really competitive option. This is an avenue for the most skilled player to be rewarded for their talents. You can earn millions playing in tournaments if you’re an elite video gamer.

With the richest Pro Gamer in the world having made $6.9 million, revenue generated from Esports is expected to reach $1.5 billion in 2020.

Some of the most popularEsportsevents if you’re thinking of becoming a pro gamer are DOTA 2, theFortnite World Cup which had a prize pool of $100 million in 2019, the FIFA eWorld Cup, and theOverwatch World Cup.

Also, there are platforms such as PlayersLounge which allows players to compete for cash. In PlayersLounge, you have the option of a free tournament, or matches that require a minimum buy-in of $2.50, the maximum amount is $500.

Streaming:

These days, almost anything can be streamed, even video games. You may be wondering what this means. Basically, you watch other people play games. There are different platforms, such as twitch that provide video game streaming services. You can make money from streaming through ads, subscriptions or your viewers can give you tips.

Coaching and Video Game Guide:

If you’re good at playing certain games, you can make a lot of money by coaching and walking people through games. Sites like Superprof and Gamer Sensei provide coaching services, and you can register.

If you have completed a game, and you know where all the secret power-ups and Easter eggs are, you can create a guide to walk people through.

Direct Income From Games:

This is perhaps the least known method of how to make money playing video games.Some games involve transactions with real-life currency.

One of the most popular games in which you can make money from is Second Life. You earn money in the game by carrying out certain activities, and you can sell your excess money to other gamers for real-life money, or you can carry out certain activities for them for real money.

You can trade items such as skins within the gamefor real-life currency.This can be done through third party sites such as StoneFire who charge a percentage for the transaction.

The steam community market is a platform that supports this; however, you can only use the funds for Steam Community Items and games. The platform provides market services to games such as PUBG, DOTA 2, Team Fortress 2 and many more.

Become a Video Game BETA tester

Do you love playing games? Then this is an exact answer to your question of how to make money playing video games. All you have to do just play games all day while video game developers pay you for doing what you love, the only catch is you have to help them find errors and bugs in their games.

Finding employment as a BETA tester for games might be an arduous task which may not be worth it. Here is a graphical representation of salaries of video game testers.

Video Game Journalism

How to make money playing video games through video game journalism. This is not a heading you come across very often, if at all.

Video game journalism is journalism concerned with video games.Video game journalists do more than just critic games; they give in-depth reviews and talk about issues such as culture and can become very political.

Conclusion

Can you make money from playing video games? Yes, however, there is no assurance that you will be able to make more than you invested in playing the video games. A lot of time, the profit made from playing video games is meager and not up to what your 9 to 5 job pays.

The question is no longer how to make money playing video games,but will I make money playing video games.Unless you’re pretty sure of your skills and know you’re the best at a video game, it’s not always guaranteed you’ll make money. Sure there is the oddball who makes millions, but what are the chances that would be you.

After reading this article, I’m sure you now believe money can be made from playing games, and you already have some ideas on how to make money playing video games.

Here are the key takeaways: