Entertainment

5 Ways to Make Money Off Your Passion for Video Games

asian-girl-game-addictedCreate a Channel

Twitch, YouTube, you name it - a channel is a great way to share your expertise and start making money off of your passion for games. Here the profit primarily lies in advertising, and perhaps eventual contracts with certain studios or publishers depending on your position. If you like getting in front of a camera or narrating, and have the video skills to regularly post your clips and analysis, this could be the job for you.

Of course, this comes with some very large caveats. You’ll have to work long and hard on a channel to build up your subscribers and create meaningful revenue streams. You will also be facing a host of competitors with excellent equipment, radio show voices, and tons of experience, all trying to do the same thing. If you’ve got talent in this area, pursue it! But also understand the hurdles you’ll have to jump.

Sell Off Your Physical Games

There are two reasons to sell video games that you have owned for a while. If you have a large collection, some of them are probably worth some serious money by now, especially older copies. Second, for many games - especially those from past generations - you can still play whenever you want thanks to emulation, the latest backwards compatibility (free with Xbox, streaming from PlayStation for a fee), and remastered editions.

This is one of the easiest ways to make a quick buck without giving up too much. Check out sites where you can sell video games and see what they are looking for. You can find rosters of games currently in high demand, and how much they will pay you for them. Yes, you will lose your beloved physical copy of the game, but maybe it’s time to clear space for the latest crop?

Review Games

There are a surprising number of sites and blogs out there that are looking for video game writers to write analysis and reviews! The bad news? Very few of the will actually pay you. The good news? This is a great way to get started, gain some experience, and then find jobs that will pay for reviews. Plus, both sides of the coin typically include extras like free games, trips to conferences, and other bonuses that will feed your passion.

If you are really crazy about games, you probably spend a lot of time reading reviews anyway. The key is to turn what you’ve seen into a model that you can follow yourself. Not everyone can do this well or wittily, but if you can this is a great path to pursue. Note that it’s related to option one, because video reviews count here, too.

Sign Up for Competitions

E-sports and other events can help you make money, or at least win free stuff/get sponsorships. We included this point because it’s obvious and it would be foolish to leave out such important competitions. However, you have to be in very unique conditions to succeed at e-sports: It requires high-end gear, top notch skills, and so much work that you won’t have much of a life otherwise. It’s not surprise that only the top 0.10% of gamers are a good fit - and even then for only a couple of years. One last challenge: The most popular e-sport games are already filled with masters - you’ll need to jump on the bandwagon of a rising start to succeed.

If you have any questions, please ask below!