The world of video games has grown from a niche pursuit enjoyed by small pockets of communities, into a multi-billion dollar industry that is now the most lucrative strand of the entertainment sector. The growth of Esports, the industry given term to describe playing video games professionally for money, in particular has really shown the potential of gaming as a money maker and presents the opportunity for gamers all over the world to turn their passion into cash.
Here are some of the best tips for how to make money from playing video games.
Invest In Your Equipment
Whilst some gamers will insist they play better with their old home comforts, the video game industry has evolved and diversified so much over the past decade or so that raw skill alone isn’t enough to take you to the top anymore. The likes of Logitech, Alienware and Hyperbeast have all become specialists in engineering pieces of hardware that help separate pros from the noobs, and all of them have hooked up with successful teams and players to ensure that they remain that one step ahead in the server.
To make it as a pro and begin making money from games such as Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Overwatch, gamers now need to invest seriously in a gaming chair, a specialist mouse and mousepad, a responsive keyboard, a receptive headset as well as having a monitor and console/system powerful enough to handle the lightning fast reflexes needed at the top tier of professional play. And that isn’t even divulging into the finer accessories such as gloves, webcams, stands, tables and such that usually accompany the very highest earners.
Invest In Your Time And Become A Specialist
One of the nice things about gaming on the whole is the freedom casual players have in being able to put down a title and pick something else up and play when things get tiresome. However, there’s no such luxury allowed in the ruthless world of competitive Esports. It’s important to remember that the pros who make money playing video games are doing it as an occupation, meaning that they grind away at their chosen title as if it were a job they have shifts for, and sometimes even longer than that, regularly sinking ten hours a day on refining their skills and keeping their reflexes at their maximum.
Put simply, to begin to even have a chance of making money from playing video games, players need to be willing to grind away for hundreds upon hundreds of hours.
Once inside the server, the best way of ensuring your skills grow to the point where you stand a chance of earning money off them is by identifying your best qualities and finding a playstyle that suits them. The teams and players that dominate the events and tournaments they attend all have very distinct roles they play within a team and explicitly work on these roles, rather than trying to master as many things as possible.
Join A Team
Competition is fierce in most games that boast a professional scene, which can make practicing your skills and climbing the ranking ladders that little bit harder. One of the best ways around that is by collecting up a group of players that cover all the bases in the server you need and forming a team of your own. Start small by checking out localised events and competitions and go from there.
The major Esports titles in the world are starting to build out their grassroots leagues and events to help smaller organisations find the footing they need, and these tournaments are starting to become more and more featured on Counter-Strike, Dota and League of Legends betting websites to further illustrate their blossoming potential.
Start Streaming
Online streaming has been one of the biggest causes behind video games’ rise in value over the past couple of years, and represents a huge opportunity for gamers to start earning money whilst playing. Amazon-owned Twitch.tv is the world’s most popular online streaming platform, with 3.8 million people hosting their own channels over the course of 2020. Approximately 15 million viewers tune into Twitch every single day, with 140 million accounts watching at least one channel a month. For those gamers out there who can carve out their own community and get a little slice of the pie, Twitch represents a great opportunity to make some decent cash.
The nice thing about playing the online streaming game is that there are a plethora of ways in which a user can establish themselves and begin earning. Viewers will naturally flock to the very best plying their trade, but they will also continue visiting a channel if a content creator is able to appear engaging and entertaining as well.
