It may seem like making money as a gamer is something out of a teenagers fantasy that has no basis in reality. The truth is that there is plenty of money that can be made if you love video games.
People assume that the only way to make money is to play for a team and compete. While that is a great way to go if you are very talented, it isn’t the only way. Even if you are not necessarily the best gamer on the planet, there are still ways to earn an income.
It will take a lot of focus, determination and hustle, but if you are a hard worker you can end up making decent money that may even replace your full time income.
In this article, I will give you several steps on how to make this dream a reality.
1. Build a Following
Let’s assume that you are already a very good gamer. If you aren’t already, then you have to start there, but once you have gotten good then this is the time to build a following.
Use Twitch, Youtube and social media to build a following of people that like the way that you play. The best way to achieve this is to focus on one game and not be the guy that just plays all the games. Once you are making a lot of money you can branch out but for now stick to one game.
The reason being is that people that are devoted to a particular game will keep tuning in as they can learn how to play better. If you are jumping from game to game, you may pick up new viewers, but they will just be replacing ones that left. Give them a reason to stick around.
2. Monetize your Audience
Your audience can be monetized even in the beginning, but the best way is to wait until you have a sizable and loyal following. Once your fans are behind you then they will start spending money.
The most obvious way is to start asking for tips for playing. You can set up a Patroen page that offers perks if they pay you a tip every month. Or you can ask directly if you have a Bitcoin wallet for example. Your audience can buy Bitcoin and then send it to your wallet as a tip if they feel they are getting value from your gaming skills.
Affiliate marketing is also a very effective way to earn some money from your audience. The way that it works is that you join a sort of partnership program with manufacturers or eCommerce sites. If you are in their program and then promote their products you get a special tracking code.
Then you can put links in your social media or the description box of your YT video. When your audience clicks those links and buys the item you are promoting, then you will receive a commission for this.
Items like a keyboard, mouse or anything else that you use while gaming will be a great product to promote. If you focus on products that help people solve a problem, then that is even better. For instance, if people are struggling with the keyboard they have, then you can try to find one that has great ergonomics for playing your particular game and your followers will want to buy it. After all, if you are having trouble with a keyboard then they will be happy to find a solution to their problem as well.
Be Patient
There are going to be times when you feel like you are doing this for nothing. You just don’t have enough viewers for it to be worth it. Be patient and they will come. If you are consistent with uploading and are trying to focus on making quality videos, then you will eventually find an audience and it will all be worth it.
Consistently upload to your social media accounts and find the right people to follow. With consistency you’ll create a sort of brand for yourself and the snowball will grow as time goes on. Just don’t give up if you aren’t seeing results. Either tweak how you do things or just keep going forward.
