Ideas for Making Some Money from Your Gaming Passion

If you love nothing better than spending your non-work time gaming, you’ve probably thought many times about how cool it would be to make some money from your passion, too.

These days, however, it is a dream you can potentially turn into a reality, with more opportunities than ever before.

Tester of Games and Related Products

Gaming production companies often want people to test their new products and give feedback or reviews. You might like to make some money being a games tester, therefore, particularly if you have strong critical thinking and analytical skills. You might deal with firms directly, or you could use one or more of several online platforms, such as StartPlaying or PlayTestCloud, which typically offer set hourly rates to players.

As an avid gamer, you can help developers improve their products and get access to all the latest games while you’re at it. You’ll generally need to download software that records your speech and reactions while testing a game, but requirements and tasks vary. Often, businesses are looking to get a detailed report after a tester has tried their game, covering things like graphics, audio, storyline, etc.

Write Game-Related Content

Do you like working with words just as much as you do gaming? If so, why not earn some money from writing game-related content? Your passion can help you become an expert paid to write blogs or articles and the like for gaming-based or broader publications. Or, you could build up a following on your own blog and develop an audience and eventually some income that way (e.g., via advertising or sponsored posts on your site or Patreon subscriptions).

Another option is to develop your own reading guides for different video game titles. You can put together and share useful information that others want to learn about games and will pay to access. You might publish eBooks, upload video guides to YouTube or elsewhere, or create a website where you sell written guides, among other options. If you prefer speaking to writing, you might also like to start a gaming podcast where you talk about all things games and even interview professional gamers, developers, etc.

Teach Others

You can teach others how to master various video games by providing the types of content listed above. However, you might also consider becoming a gaming tutor. You can teach people one-on-one or in small groups how to get through a game more quickly and discover all the shortcuts or other details they need to know. You could offer workshops, mentoring sessions, or find another format that works for you and your clients.

Earn Advertising Dollars Via Gaming Videos

A popular way that many passionate gamers make money these days is through streaming videos of themselves playing. You can make advertising dollars this way. This cash influx usually depends on building a large audience, though, or at least a very loyal one you can monetize via donations and subscriptions.

The place where many people go to start earning some dollars this way is via Twitch, where some people earn millions of dollars per year or at least tens of thousands. YouTube is also an option, though, so you might want to try each and see which works best.

Enter Tournaments

If you have serious gaming talents, you might find that the best way to generate income is to enter tournaments. The more popular the game you play, the larger the prize pools. You could start with smaller local tournaments and build up over time and eventually join an eSports organization where you have the potential to earn a full-time salary through winnings along with sponsorships.

Sell Merchandise

If you don’t feel like your gaming skills are enough, you could turn to selling merchandise instead. This can be an excellent way to make money if you like sourcing fun, interesting products (whether from wholesalers or getting your own goods manufactured). You can sell products at tournaments, conventions, festivals, markets, online, etc. Also, if you are building up a decent following as an eSports or other type of gamer, you could sell merchandise with your name or brand on it to get some secondary income.

As you can see, there are numerous ways to boost your savings, thanks to your love of gaming. You might like to try one or more of these ideas. No matter which path(s) you go down, though, be strategic about the steps you take, and don’t invest too much time or money into any of the opportunities until you’ve had a chance to test them and see if they’re for you or not.

Take care of your health and wellbeing so you don’t burn out as you get busy with these side hustles. Consider buying some gaming supplements designed for gamers if you’re going to be testing and playing many hours per day. These products can help you stay focused and keep your energy levels up, and give you more beneficial nutrients, too.