During the course of 2019, Fortnite whizz-kid Tyler ‘Ninja’ Blevins made more than $17 million. The financial success and subsequent fame of pro-gamers and other operators within the gaming industry have somewhat disproven the belief that many parents have: that their game-addicted children will end up as complete slackers. While there is no denying that spending your entire life in front of a gaming device is not exactly healthy, it is important to not write off gaming as a source of income just yet. There are, in fact, a number of ways in which a keen gamer can make money by partaking in their favorite pastime.
Stream on Twitch
If you are serious about making money as a gamer, you should seriously consider streaming on Twitch. The platform, which is a subsidiary of Amazon-acquired Twitch Interactive, is the world’s largest game streaming platform. During the course of 2017, the top 10 Twitch streamers earned more than $20 million combined. While you cannot expect to earn this much unless you are the next Ninja or shroud in the making, the earning potential remains great. On average, a streamer with a decent following can expect to earn anywhere between $10,000 and $40,000 a year. In order to start earning money on Twitch, you need to become a Twitch Partner. This will require you to stream at least 500 minutes in a 30-day period, boast a minimum of seven unique broadcast days in the past 30 days, and have no less than 50 followers. Once you become a partner, you can start earning money with relative ease.
Earn extra cash with merchandise sales
Many successful streamers also earn a secondary income from sponsorship and even merchandise sales. Once you garner a following, you can easily set up an online store that will allow fans from across the world to order your branded gear with a few clicks of a mouse. All you need to do is design some cool gear, and you can earn yourself some nice money. In order to make money from selling merchandise online, you will have to set up a merchant account and payment gateway that allows for swift and secure transactions. There are a number of details to consider when choosing both the merchant account and payment gateway, such as restrictions imposed on certain industries, but luckily there is ample information readily available to help you make an educated decision.
Become a professional gamer
If you consider yourself an expert in gaming, you should perhaps consider making a career out of it. Although not everyone is cut out to be a professional gamer, the earning potential is magnificent. Johan Sundstein, who is better known by his gamer tag N0tail, is the highest-earning professional gamer of all time. At the age of 26, he has won more than $6 million from 108 Dota 2 tournaments. In order to make money as a pro gamer, however, you need to be the absolute best of the best. For that reason, unfortunately, most passionate but mediocre casual gamers will not make the cut. If you believe that you are among the best players of a gaming title, you have absolutely nothing to lose by entering a few tournaments to help you determine whether you might have a future as a pro-gamer.
Sign up as a game tester
If you pride yourself on your critical thinking skills and have a passion for trying out new games, a career as a game tester may be on the cards for you. Being a game tester will entail you trying all aspects of a game while pushing it to its absolute limits. You might want to think of it as an opportunity to earn money while trying your hardest to break a game. As a tester, you will often gain access to a game in it pre-release state. Apart from following the provided guidelines, you will also be expected to supply a detailed report on everything from the gaming interface to the storyline, graphics and audio. The average annual salary for a professional game tester is in the region of $53,000, with experienced testers easily earning around $70,000 every year.
While gaming is, without a doubt, one of the most popular and enjoyable pastimes in the USA, it can also form the basis of a lucrative career. If you have a genuine love for gaming and possess heaps of gaming talent, you can end up making a killing by simply doing what you love most.
