Today, the video game industry appears to be one of the most successful, lucrative, and steadily growing commercial enterprises. People probably didn’t expect it to blow up so much and so quickly. You might have heard of people downplaying video games one way or another. For them, it was easy to believe that video games were a distraction or a waste of time. But these days, even older generations may not deny that going for a career in the video game industry is legitimate.  

And as this career option becomes normalized, gaming enthusiasts are now taking gaming more seriously. The idea of making a living through something you enjoy is interesting to anyone, not just gamers. If you think about it, many successful individuals have made their hobbies into lucrative careers. For instance, it’s possible to become a professional chef if you love to cook or a photographer if you like taking pictures. The great thing about being interested in video games is there are different career options to choose from. 

1. Professional Gamer 

If you’re curious about how to earn money playing video games professionally, becoming an eSports gamer is probably the most popular way. Many gamers dream of competing in eSports because it’s known to have the biggest and most popular competitions for gaming. Getting to compete in eSports means you’re one of the best gamers in your choice of video games. Aside from bragging rights, you could also get the chance to win millions of dollars, which could even go as big as USD$40 million dollars. 

But becoming a professional competitor is going to take a lot of hard work. You’d be competing with all the seasoned and best players around the world. So you’d have to make sure you’re skilled and able to play excellently under pressure. It’s also essential you choose a game that’s included in different eSports championships. Competitors have usually been playing for years and years before they got to the championships.

2. Video Game Live Streamer 

If you aren’t interested in competing, streaming might be the career for you. Live streaming is incredibly popular these days, especially with many streaming platforms available. To become a live streamer, you have to be creative and entertaining and enjoy interacting with your following.

The challenge with becoming a video game streamer is getting a large enough following so you could qualify for sponsorships or advertising. Streamers on a popular live-streaming platform could make USD$3,000-5,000 a month. The income combines different sources like ads, subscriptions, sponsorships, donations, bits, merchandise, and income from other platforms.  

A popular streamer could earn US$500,000 a month through live streaming. With millions of followers, this wouldn’t be impossible to get. However, it would take a lot of hard work, dedication, and patience to reach such fame.

3. Video Game Podcaster 

If you’re a video game enthusiast, you probably have many opinions about certain video games or the industry in general. If you think you have the grit and personality to talk about video games openly, why not try to become a video game podcaster? 

Podcasts are top-rated. And being such a new platform, it’s still easy to break into it. But as a starter, you probably won’t be earning much, aside from the donations you could get from your followers. But as your podcast gets bigger, you could get sponsorships through ads, affiliate programs, and merchandise.  

The income you get from podcasting would depend on how many listeners you have, too. More listeners will also mean more chances of sponsorships. On average, a bigger podcast could make about US$4,000 per episode. But remember, you’d probably need to work up to make your podcast incredibly popular. Just keep your eye on the prize as it would all be worth it in the end.

4. Video Game Tester 

For anyone who’s always excited for new and upcoming games, becoming a video game tester would be a dream come true. Video game testers essentially need to play the whole game while looking out for glitches and bugs. You’d also need to check if the game flows correctly and the progress is logical. Then you’d need to communicate with the video game developers to talk about how the test went and what errors you found out. On average, video game testers could make US$18,000 to US$80,000 per year. 

Conclusion 

For video game enthusiasts, it’s incredible how many options are available for you to make your gaming hobby into a career. But if you want to take it further, you could get into gaming design or programming by learning video game programming languages or getting the needed certification. The video game industry is enormous, and it’s possible to be successful through gaming. But you’d still need to have a great work ethic to make a stable living out of it.