If you’re like me, you probably can’t spend a day or two without playing a video game. If you haven’t started playing games yet, you’re not late. You can start right away so you don’t miss out on the incredible benefits that players reap from gaming.

And there is another least-known benefit of playing video games: you can make money from it. Do you want to know exactly how you can achieve that?

Well, first of all, there are sites that are ready to pay you to play online video games. Interestingly, this is not the only method to earn extra cash playing video games.

And the amount you get varies widely as well. It could range from a few bucks to six figures yearly.

According to the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), in 2014, the gaming industry sold over 135 million games, earning a whooping $22 billion in revenue.

Yeah, gaming is that huge. As an avid gamer, these are some excellent ways to get paid to do something you really love. So, whether you prefer playing video games on betting sites or other online gaming websites, you can earn a tidy some from gaming.

Sounds interesting? Let’s dive right in, so you can know how exactly you can monetize while playing your favorite video games.

1) Earn money by testing games

Big video game companies hire people to test their games. Basically, you’ll need to test the game they’re developing and report any bugs you encounter.

Game testing is also referred to as play-testing. For a newbie, the compensation can be low. Game testers usually receive a minimum salary.

And you won’t be allowed to test your favorite game all the time; you may be asked to play kids’ video games, for example. Besides, the task can be repetitive and monotonous.

However, for an avid video game lover, none of those things matter. Examples of companies that offer video game testing jobs include Volt, Nintendo, Game-Testers.net, and Blizzard.

As a game tester, your earnings can start from around $10 an hour all the way to $100 an hour. On an annual basis, game testers take home anywhere between $18,000 and $80,000.

2) Earn money farming gold

Farming gold has been around for years.

Even if you aren’t an expert gamer, I am sure you’ve heard someone mention Word of Warcraft (WOW), which is a game involving strategy and many challenges.

Its main objective is for players to find and collect rewards and items after they reach certain goals. The official currency of this game is gold.

Many other virtual businesses now sell and buy different types of virtual items in diverse forms of virtual currencies. So that means, instead of playing for a long time to earn virtual gold, you can buy it from the virtual sellers using hard cash.

But that sounds like spending. So, how do you make money from gold farming instead?

Well, to get started, you need to pay the subscription fee and set up your avatar on WOW. In a few days, you can start farming and selling gold to earn money. There are also many guides and online forums where you can learn excellent strategies to make real money by selling virtual gold.

3) Record ‘Let’s Play’ Videos on YouTube

In this method, you must make YouTube your friend.

Are you able to play lots of games? If that’s the case, you can make money by streaming video games. YouTube calls this ‘Let’s Play’ and many gamers are making a fortune out of it.

You’ll need to talk throughout the video and explain every move you’re making. Basically, you narrate gameplay.

And the competition is a bit tough out there, so you need to be outstanding at what you do.

So, how do you earn money here? You need to enable ads so you can earn for every impression and click.

Therefore, the more views to your videos, the more money you’ll make. You’ll start small at first and then gradually build your traffic and viewership. Once you do it, it’s worthwhile. You’ll earn passively from it as long as your video is up.

4) Play in eSport Tournaments

Competition can bring in the big bucks. Skilled players know this secret, and that’s how they make lots of cash.

Professional video game competitions are usually known as “eSports”

The team that carried the day at the 2011 DOTA 2 tournament by Valve earned $1 million. Also, the winner of 2011 North American Star League Starcraft 2 took home $100,000.

Of course, only some players earn big cash payouts during such tournaments. Only the dedicated and talented usually make it.

The other way to make big bucks in tournaments is by finding a corporation to sponsor you. For example, Nike and Nascar value corporate branding, and have sponsored professional gamers before.

5) Get paid to teach on gaming

You are an excellent gamer? Someone out there needs that skills and ready to pay you a tidy sum to teach them. Need inspiration? Start by checking out this video games best sellers list on Amazon.

How can you achieve this? First, you can create an ebook where you share your knowledge about a specific video game and self-publish it on Amazon Kindle.

Second, you can create a video course where you share secrets of being an expert in a certain video game. You can then upload the course to Udemy and sell it to many interested gaming students out there.

6) Earn by Writing on Video Games

There are numerous game-related sites that constantly pump out fresh content. They employ many freelance writers on a part-time and full-time basis.

If you’ve a decent knowledge on online gaming and have a way with words, you may approach these sites for an opportunity to create content for them.

Wondering where to start?

Here are three websites that do pay gaming writers

  • GameCrazy
  • The Average Gamer
  • Killer Guides

Final Thoughts

Gaming has opened new avenues of making money. Its no longer considered an activity which is limited to pastime. That being said there is no guarantee that the above opportunities can replace your dayjob so if you are starting out, just consider them as means of earning money on the side.