Published on March 8th, 2019 | by Sunit Nandi

How to Make Money in The Gaming Industry

Many people, when growing up, have played World of Warcraft, RuneScape or Counter Strike 1.6, had a dream that one day they would be able to make a living by playing the games that they loved. Well, that dream has become true. Now, there are many ways in which people can use their talents and passion to make a fair amount of money while gaming. Here are just a few of those ways.

Getting into Live Streams and Let’s Plays

Playing a game for an audience is a market that has exploded in popularity over the past decade. After PewDiePie and others took the reigns – recording or streaming a commentary and posting videos on video/streaming platforms such as YouTube or Twitch has become a way of making a living for a large number of gamers all over the world.

Since everyone is trying their luck at making it, you are going to have to find a way to stick out from the crowd which isn’t always easy. However, if you do have the drive and a true passion for gaming, getting a paycheck from YouTube ads, or donations from your loyal audience will become your bread and butter in no time.

Sell items on in-game item marketplaces like Eldorado.gg

Some people prefer microtransactions as opposed to earning items themselves in-game because the grind can be very time-consuming and make the gaming experience less fun. So, using real-world money to buy in-game currency or to purchase power-ups and assets is becoming a common way of bettering your own game experience.

This is where sites like Eldorado.gg come into play. They allow you to work with other players to buy or sell in-game items and currency for a price, generally from a couple of dollars to a couple of hundred dollars, depending on the demand and the rarity of an item.

Although, some players fear that they could get scammed, it has become almost impossible to do so. The owners of these types of sites are hardcore passionate gamers with experience in trading/selling/buying various in-game goods, so much so, that they know all the tricks in the book.

A lot of gamers are not familiar with these opportunities so this could be a great method for you if you love online games.

Get into game journalism

This one can be pretty fun, depending on for who you are writing, and how good you are. Many websites, like Techraptor, have openings that allow you to write reviews and more for them, and they will pay you good money as a result.

Doing this can also get you some free games as well. It is pretty neat to review copies of games, especially those that have yet to be released. And, on top of getting the game for free, simply for the promise of a review, you can also get paid.

Write gaming guides or tutorials

If you know a game inside an out, then this might be the perfect option for you. Many people adore game guides because they can provide help when the player is in a tough spot. Also, some gamers enjoy completing their favorite video games at 100% and a guide will help them do that quicker.

The main thing is that you are going to want to get into making the guide when the game is new. That way you are able to get some money from the guide before people start making their own guides that they post for free online. Sites like Amazon will happily publish a short eBook guide about the game and can net you a couple of bucks per copy if you are dedicated enough.

It is certainly not the easiest solution, but if you are already a thorough person, then maybe you should try it out.

Become a game tester

This is harder to do, because, in this era, most game developers aren’t willing to pay good money to people who want to test out their game and would rather release a game full of bugs (Fallout 76 anyone?). Also, it is not as fun as you might think either. Mainly, you just walk around and see if there are any technical glitches or anything that might need to be patched, writing it all down.

If you are someone who likes to do that kind of thing anyway, then this might be a good side income for you.

Become a competitive gamer

The eSports industry is growing quickly in popularity. Back in the day, Quake was one of the first break-through games that started a trend of local LAN parties where players could enter and win small sums of money. Since then, a plethora of games were introduced into the eSport scene and tournaments arose, where, at times, up to 25 million dollars can be at stake.

You should know that this is for much more competitive games, and teams of players. So if you are really good at games like Fortnite, Dota 2, and League of Legends, then this might be the path for you. But if you play more single-player games, then you might want to look elsewhere (Speedrun videos/guides?).

While making money from games often requires a fair amount of extra work and dedication, it can be done. From writing reviews to live streaming in real time, you are now able to play the games you love, or even some that you hate, and be able to make some coin in the process. Although it is difficult to make a living out of it, at the very least it can be a supplemental income which gives you more time to do what you love and work less hours in a job elsewhere.

Tags: gaming, how to, industry, make money

About the Author

Sunit Nandi I'm the leader of Techno FAQ. Also an engineering college student with immense interest in science and technology. Other interests include literature, coin collecting, gardening and photography. Always wish to live life like there's no tomorrow.