Not long ago, gaming was widely regarded as a waste of time and money. To everyone’s surprise, today, gaming has transformed from a hobby to an opportunity to build personal wealth.
Gaming enthusiasts, if you’re unsure where to start making money through video games, continue reading, as this blog post will cover all the WHYs, HOWs, and WHATs of making money through gaming!
Why Gaming Can Be a Lucrative Side Hustle?
The gaming industry is projected to reach over $321 billion in 2026. Thousands of people worldwide make money from their love of video games.
How to Monetize Your Gaming Skills?
There are numerous ways to start making money from your gaming skills. From game development to becoming a gaming influencer, here are just a few of them.
Make Passive Income When Gaming
If you don’t want to put a lot of effort into earning some cash through gaming, let us introduce you to Honeygain – an app that lets you make extra money by simply sharing your unused internet bandwidth.
After installing the app on your phone or laptop, you join a global network that helps businesses and researchers gather publicly available online data and valuable insights. With Honeygain, you can earn up to $40/month.
The Honeygain app works quietly in the background while you enjoy playing video games, allowing you to make free money while gaming.
Stream Games
Video game streaming is now one of the most popular ways gamers can make extra cash. They use websites like Twitch, Reddit Live, Facebook Gaming, TikTok Live, and YouTube Gaming to stream gameplay to a global audience of other gamers.
To start streaming, you only need essential equipment. This includes a computer, a stable internet connection, and a high-quality microphone and camera. If you plan to stream on Twitch or TikTok Live, apply for their affiliate or partner program to monetize your streams.
Streamers can earn money from subscribers, donations, sponsorships, and ad revenue.
Create Gaming Content
Creating digital content within the gaming industry can be an excellent way to monetize your passion. You can create content around your gaming experience, game reviews, game tutorials, or news in the gaming world.
Creating content on platforms like YouTube, TikTok, or Instagram makes you money through ad revenue, sponsorships for brands, views, and donations.
Develop Games
To become a game developer, you’ll need some technical skills. These include coding, design, and storytelling. Game development could be a profitable side hustle if you’re willing to commit to it.
Become a Gaming Influencer
Gaming influencers are well-known in the gaming industry and have hundreds of thousands of followers across various social media channels. These influencers dictate trends, popularize or criticize games, and oversee their community.
By working with sponsors, producing branded content, or endorsing gaming goods (headphones, monitors, or even in-game features), you could begin to monetize your impact as a gaming influencer.
Test Video Game Quality
There’s probably nothing worse than being disappointed by something you’ve been waiting for. One of the most recent mass disappointments was the release of the game Cyberpunk 2077.
Everyone was excited about the game, but it fell flat on its face upon release due to technical mistakes and other glitches.
The game developers could’ve avoided this mess if they had invested more money into quality assurance testing. If you have an eye for detail and are willing to invest your time into it, becoming a video game quality assurance tester could make you money.
Become a Game Tutor
Yes, you’ve read that right. There are many people out there who are looking for other gamers to teach them how to play. After eSports and professional gaming competitions became a thing, many are looking for lessons.
Even some parents now view eSports as a trusty career choice for their kids, and they’re willing to pay a lot of money to ensure their kids succeed. If you’ve mastered a game or two, look around for someone who wants to learn from you!
What Is Important to Monetize Gaming?
As with every career path, there are some qualities that you should have to succeed. Here are some aspects to consider when monetizing your gaming hobby.
Consistency
‘’Consistency is what transforms average into excellence” is a quote that you can apply to a multitude of situations. And building a side hustle is one of them.
You must set a schedule for streaming, creating content, or practicing. Keep that schedule nearby because only if you adhere to it will you start making progress.
No one becomes successful overnight, so work at your own pace and be patient – if you’re consistent and motivated, your audience will notice and appreciate that.
Get To Know Your Audience
In every business, you won’t succeed if you don’t know your client. If you’ve chosen to create gaming-related content, you’re no exception – you should be able to understand the needs and interests of your followers.
And if you’ve ventured into creating gaming content, your followers determine how successful you’ll be. So engage with your audience – respond to their comments, answer questions and concerns, don’t be afraid to show your personality, and interact with them.
Invest in Quality Equipment
This step becomes important after your side hustle takes off. Don’t waste your money when you start – wait it out, and once your following grows, start investing in quality tools.
Owning a high-quality camera, microphone, and computer can go a long way.
Collaborate With Other Gamers
Collaborating with other gamers can help increase your audience and reach. Collaborating on content or hosting a gaming tournament can attract more viewers.
Key takeaways
- Pick a gaming hustle that fits your skills and interests;
- Set achievable goals;
- Adhere to a schedule and keep yourself accountable;
- Don’t be scared to engage with your audience;
- Invest in quality equipment.
All in all, gaming offers a variety of ways to make money, depending on your skills and passions. Be bold, experiment, and start building wealth today! Whoever said gaming was a waste of time?
