All the ways to earn real money with computer games, through reviews, tournaments or live broadcasts
Video games have achieved such popularity that in many countries very popular tournaments are organized with very high prize pools, reserved for professionals (even thousands of subscribers can participate in the most famous video games).
If we are big video game fans and want to pursue a career in this sector or, more simply, start earning some amount of money for yourself, in this guide we will show you how to make money with video games from home or creating your own clique. of friends and companions with whom to exchange ideas and share projects. We would like to warn you that to get to do a real “job” (with earnings often higher than those of many trades on the market) great sacrifice and commitment are required; better to start from the bottom and make some small gains with what you have or what we can do, then the rest will come by itself.
Ways to make money with video games
Below we have collected, from the easiest to the most difficult, all the legitimate methods with which we can make money with video games. We always start with small earnings and begin to make a name for ourselves, so that one day our earnings are such that we can make it a real job (complete with a permanent contract, sponsorships and so on).
Resale of used games
The simplest method that everyone can apply is the resale of the used games in our possession: if we have been playing for many years (at least since 1995) and have always bought physical copies of the games (CD, DVD and Blu-Ray), they can having developed such a value among collectors that we can get much more than the original purchase price.
The best site to sell your used games is definitely eBay : what for us is old and useless can be worth something that an avid collector, even ready to spend very high sums to grab the original copy of the game.
In this case the condition of the object will decide our profit : if the game support and its packaging are well kept or practically never opened, the profit is certain; while if the support or packaging shows signs of wear, the price drops dramatically. When we sell a very old game we must take into account inflation, which tends not to make prices realistic: if a game from 1999, bought at the time for 300,000 Lire, we sell it for 150 €, in fact we have earned a lot since , with the same inflation, the same game today would be sold for around € 60-70.
If we don’t know how to properly rate our games, we recommend that you make your ratings on the sites listed below:
- GameStop
- Gamelife
- Gamesy
If, on the other hand, we don’t know how to sell online, we recommend that you read our guide on Best sites to sell used items on the internet .
Reviews on YouTube / Twitch
The second method that we can use to be able to make money with video games requires making video reviews on YouTube or live streaming on Twitch , thus increasing the number of views on our dedicated gaming channel.
In the case of YouTube, just enable AdSense on your personal channel to earn from individual views, as indicated in our guide How to make money with YouTube, video channels and videoblogs . The earnings at the beginning are very low, but with passion, commitment and ideas we can earn large amounts every month (even 1000 € / month or more).
In the case of Twitch we will only be able to earn when we become great streamers or players: they are a gold mine on the platform and are paid directly by Amazon to make challenges and videos on a certain type of game.
To make great videos or live broadcasts , we recommend reading our articles on how to record gameplay or broadcast games to live games and how to make live streaming on Youtube Live with live video channels .
Reviews on video game sites
Another method (harder) to earn video games involves the accomplishments of reviews, previews, insights, videos and direct for Web portals that speak only of video games , such as Multiplayer.it , Spaziogames , Evereye and GamesVillage .
To realize this “dream” we will have to be great video game fans but also great critics: we will have to be able to understand every little defect in the title, so that we can transcribe it in the digital content manager or bring it to the video review. In this case, depending on what is required of us, we will need to have excellent writing skills, excellent dialectics and presence (for videos) to be able to make a career in the sector and become a chief editor or chief editor (after many years as external collaborators).
If this is your dream, do not hesitate to contact the “Work with us” pages on video game sites: even if at the beginning the earnings could be very meager, it is all experience to be able to grow and become an expert in online reviews ( to be added also to the methods seen above).
Play in big professional tournaments
The last method is definitely the most difficult of all (practically impossible for many): to become a professional player of eSports , that is sports events based on video games.
To become a professional player, incredible efforts are required, even from a physical and mental point of view: we have to play many hours a day (at least 7-8), be constant in improving our skills and finally find a team or a group of people who they intend to share the same dream and passion (most games are multiplayer, meaning you play teams against teams). Once we have honed our skills beyond the simple pastime (we must be able to beat anyone, even in teams), let’s sign up for the tournaments of games with prize pools up for grabs and put ourselves to the test: with the right amount of commitment we will win our first tournaments and we will start climbing the European and world tournament (where the cash prizes are very rich).
The most followed and profitable games are: Dota 2 , Overwatch , League of Legends and Fortnite , but there are eSports tournaments also for football games (Fifa and PES), for racing games (Assetto Corsa) and for fighting games. (Tekken).
We will probably never become world champions, but by combining our skills with the other methods seen so far (live on Twitch and videos on YouTube), we should be able to earn enough to make it a good alternative to classic jobs , especially if we succeed in the feat. to be sponsored by some game manufacturer or some other sponsor related to the world of games.
To know the dates of the most prestigious tournaments available in Italy, we invite you to consult the GEC website .
Conclusions
By carefully analyzing all the methods illustrated in the article, you will surely have realized that making money with video games is absolutely possible, but the gain will hardly be such as to be able to replace a classic job : to avoid easy enthusiasm and early disappointments, we advise you to start with the simplest and easiest methods to apply even on weekends or outside working hours, ie selling used video games and videos on YouTube, so you can immediately start monetizing something. If we are really very good at a game, we can move on to Twitch streams and prize tournaments, but remember that the cash prizes trigger a great competition, attracting real “monsters” of the game (difficult to beat without a precise strategy)
