The gaming sector is rapidly evolving. In 2021, the industry will generate over $60 billion in the US alone. Usually, these profits go to game developers and hardware providers. However, the rise of eSports, Twitch, and other streaming services has created opportunities for people to monetise gaming.
In other words, gamers like you can make money doing what they do best. The best part is that you don’t need fancy and expensive equipment to start earning cash. If you’re interested in learning more about how you can monetise your gaming hobby, keep reading. We have explored the money-making opportunities in the gaming industry.
The dream of all gamers
Johan Sundstein, a Dota 2 player, is the highest-earning eSports player. He has won over $7 million by winning more than 100 tournaments. However, in the gaming sphere, winning is not everything.
Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, a 28-year-old professional gamer, recorded $17 million in 2019, which placed him first on Forbes’ ranking of top-earning gamers. Yet, Blevins won less than $100,000 competing. Ninja didn’t even make it into the tournament that awarded $3 million to the winner. He made his money from deals and sponsorships.
The highest-paid gamers are like celebrities. They might not necessarily be superstar players, but these gamers and Twitch streamers rake in millions thanks to endorsement deals and their sizeable online fan bases. There are hundreds of internet celebrities like Ninja who are capitalising on the popularity of online streaming and video games.
Making so much from a hobby is what many gamers hope to achieve. However, it takes a large fan base and exceptional gaming skills. Why this is not a lie, it’s not entirely true. There are different aspects of the gaming industry that you can dive into without being a highly-rated gamer.
Below are a few opportunities in the gaming sector and what each position entails.
Esports
The eSports industry has gotten so big that slots sites at nongamstopuk.casino offer markets for their events. Even if you don’t know how to play these games but have an in-depth idea of the players’ tactics and strategies, you can make money from eSports betting. Like sports betting, you simply predict the outcome of a particular event and back those odds. If your prediction is accurate, you get a payout.
However, if you have what it takes to compete in tournaments, you can become a professional eSports player. To do this, you’ll need to form a team and gain exposure by participating in several lower-level leagues. You can also compete individually and impress enough teams to get signed to one. Professional athletes earn between $30,000 and $50,000 yearly from their team, not including endorsement deals and rewards for tournament victories.
Johan Sundstein is one of these professional players who has made a fortune from eSports. As mentioned earlier, the player has earned over $7 million from playing Dota 2, and he’s currently ranked as the highest-earning eSports player. Others include Kyle Giersdorf, Peter Rasmussen, Ian Porter, and Lee Sang Hyeok(Faker).
Game development
One big part of the gaming industry is game development. With gamers searching for more exciting and competitive games, there’s been more demand for new creations, leading to the growth of the video game development sector. There are a lot of organisations that offer lucrative contracts to game programmers. For example, a game developer at gaming major Ubisoft can expect a starting salary of $10,000 with the potential to increase based on individual merit.
Getting a job at a big tech company as a game creator is challenging, which is why many gamers shy away from this sector. You can work solo if you don’t want to deal with a regular job. For example, Windows Store game creator Markus Persson sold his creation, Minecraft, to Microsoft for $2.5 billion. The only difference is that no company pays you; you’re hoping to sell our creation to make your dough.
However, game development requires you to be a programming guru. You must master basic and advanced tools, as these are what you’ll use for your game development. Plus, you must be creative, whether working individually or with a company. Remember that there is competition in the gaming industry, and the only way to break through is to create something appealing to the audience.
Content Creation
Creating content is the most popular and easiest way to monetise your gaming hobby. There’s a high demand for content related to these video games. Newbies are looking for guides to playing and winning video games; experienced gamers look for product reviews that’ll inform them of what to expect from a game; people want to learn more about new games before investing; and the like. So why not provide them with what they need?
Thanks to the growth of the internet, there are different online platforms that you can utilise. Twitch, Youtube, Rumble, and Kick are the most popular. These platforms allow you to stream your content live and interact with your audience. There’s also TikTok and the newly launched YouTube Shorts, where you can create and post short content.
The aim is to build a large fan base. This would allow you to make money through subscriptions, advertisements, and even donations. Note that you don’t need to have a large following before you can create content; you can build one in the long run by putting up engaging videos, making your live sessions entertaining, and even advertising your content.
Game Coaching
Many newcomers in the gaming community look for seasoned gamers who can help them hone their skills or introduce them to the basics. This has created room for those who would instead share their knowledge with others to make money from their hobby. Video conferencing tools like Skype and Zoom make organising private or small-group lessons easy. Also, many websites allow users to book lessons with veteran gamers in advance.
Here’s the trick: You can only teach what you know. You don’t necessarily have to be the world’s top player to coach anyone, but you need to understand the ins and outs of the game. In other words, you must know how to play and what it takes to win before attempting to coach.
As a coach, the ability to adapt to your trainees’ learning speed is essential. You are trying to impart knowledge, and while this may seem like a tedious, never-ending process to you, it is likely to be quite the opposite for the person you teach. They find the information you provide interesting since it is new to them. You must also develop a great teaching strategy to keep your trainees interested.
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