If you love computer games, then you would probably struggle to think of anything better than earning a living by playing them all day!
This is one of those things that probably sounds too good to be true… and yet it’s entirely possible! There is in fact more than one way to make money from gaming, and we’re actually talking decent amounts of cash too!
In this post, we’ll take a look at how to make money from gaming, and specifically how to make money from Twitch. You’ll find this is probably easier than you thought, and extremely fun and rewarding!
Talk about living the dream!
Making Cash From Twitch – How it Works
Really tho??
Can you really make money from gaming?
Surely, if it was that easy, everyone would be doing it? Surely, we’re talking a few bucks at best?
Well, if you really want to debate whether or not you can earn money from gaming, I suggest you take that up with PewDiePie. PewDiePie is a YouTube/Twitch gamer who has an estimated net worth of $30 million!
Twitch is a website that allows you to play games and then stream the games you are playing. Of course, you can also watch other people playing.
Typically, Twitch focusses slightly more on live content as compared with YouTube (which features pre-edited content predominantly), but you can also watch older videos after they’ve gone live.
Twitch is owned by Amazon, which runs the partnership program to allow you to earn money from displaying ads. This is called the Twitch Partnership Program, and it works just like the YouTube Partner Program, paying out based on the number of views and clicks each video gets.
More on the specifics in a moment.
The key is to build engagement and to get as many views as possible. The thing to recognize, is that the gaming industry is HUGE. Games make more money each year than Hollywood movies, and the amount of craftsmanship and investment that goes into each AAA title is staggering.
With so much money floating around, you just know that there is a massive audience out there for this stuff. And where do they get their fix of gaming content? On Twitch (and YouTube to a lesser extent).
YouTubers and Twitch streamers often share videos that are called “Let’s Plays.” In these videos, creators essentially play a computer game and then narrate their gameplay. This mimics the old experience of going around a friend’s house and watching them play a single-player game/probably taking it in turns.
The idea is that it’s a laid back way to experience the game, while also getting some entertainment. People like PewDiePie seal the deal with an out-there personality and lots of antics, and he will also post other things like pranks and even little comedy sketches.
But even “no commentary” videos do extremely well. Often, these will take the form of walkthroughs. Either people who can’t afford to play the games themselves can watch these as a way to experience the narrative and graphics, or people who do have the game might use them as a way to find the answers when they are stuck.
So, how does this then equate to cash?
How the Partnership Program Works
The thing to understand about the internet, is that views are money. The more people watch your channel, the more money you can generate. You can do this by selling a product of your own for example. If people enjoy your content, they might then pay for t-shirts or other merchandise because they want to support you and demonstrate their appreciation.
But that also means they are likely to buy other things that you recommend. Thus advertisers will want to place ads on your videos. This happens automatically through “Pay Per Click” ads. These pay out each time someone either views or clicks on the ad, meaning that if a video has millions of views, it can rack up a lot of profit for the owner of the video!
Likewise though, advertisers might also directly contact creators and then offer to pay for them to plug their items or to post a short segment about them. This is how a YouTuber can make their money – often earning thousands or even hundreds of thousands for each advert.
Now of course, it will take a long time for you to get to that point. But the way you go about it is the exact same.
The best part is?
- You don’t need to go in front of the camera, you JUST need some screen capture software for your computer game and something to record audio
- Games promote themselves – people search for games all the time, and new games are naturally popular topics
- You’re getting payed to play videogames all day
Twitch vs YouTube
YouTube is the other big place to view gaming content and you CAN make a lot of money there doing the exact same thing. Unfortunately, YouTube also has a habit of downplaying videogame content, and as revealed in a recent Game Theory video, the platform will never consider a gamer to be a “top content creator.”
In short, it’s a somewhat hostile environment for gamers. Then there are the various algorithm changes and rules that make it harder for gaming channels to promote and monetize their content.
Of course, there is nothing to prevent you from combining a Twitch account AND a YouTube account in order to maximize your revenue. Simply create let’s plays by streaming your Twitch footage, but then keep those videos and upload them to YouTube. Now you will be able to monetize them twice thereby earning twice the money!
Another way to monetize your Twitch and YouTube accounts is to create a Patreon. Patreon is a site that lets people support you by paying a small monthly amount. Usually, you will then reward that patronage by giving them access to exclusive content. This could be a video you don’t share anywhere else, or it might be early access to that content.
Of course, you then need to promote that Patreon page in your content.
As mentioned, selling merchandise is also a good idea. In particular, selling stickers or t-shirts is often very popular. For this to work though, you really need to create a brand around yourself that people will respond to.
The Keys to Success
Of course, there are LOTS of people who want to make a living as a Twitch gamer, and this is certainly not something that everyone will succeed at.
So, the question becomes: how do you stand out? How do you go about creating a big audience and getting your content noticed?
There are some obvious answers. The first is to make high quality videos. That means good quality screen capture, it means high quality audio, and it means that you aren’t constantly going round in circles and bumping into things. Being somewhat good at games is a good idea, unless you want to make a joke out of your poor performance!
Another tip is to choose the right games. That often means picking games that are very popular right now: what has just been released? What are people enjoying? What is interesting.
A great example right now is the game Half-Life:Alyx. This is a VR title for the HTC Vice, Valve Index, and Oculus Rift. This game is appealing because it continues the story of Half-Life, because it is considered one of the biggest-budget VR titles, and because it is something a lot of people won’t get to play. At the time of writing it is also brand new, so it’s a perfect option.
That said, if you choose games that are TOO popular (Doom Eternal at the time of writing) then you may have trouble standing out and getting your content noticed.
Some games also lend themselves more to commentary and creativity. Likewise, some have greater evergreen value (meaning that people will continue searching for them even after they are no longer new and exciting).
Sonic the Hedgehog is a game series that does very well on Twitch. That’s because there is a big fan community, but also quite a lot of cultural discussion around the topic. Many people enjoy pointing out the flaws in famously buggy games like Sonic 06.
Likewise, Minecraft is an EXTREMELY popular game on Twitch. That’s because the game lets you build anything you can think of, and therefore opens itself up to a huge amount of creativity. This is also a game that has remained popular for a long time.
Another tip is to find creative ways to promote the account through other channels. Once again, YouTube is a great option. There are lots of YouTube channels like The Completionist and Game Theory make well edited and considered videos that discuss the gaming industry, characters, and more. This provides them with a huge (and different) audience, that they can then direct toward their Twitch accounts. This is an excellent option, but so too is running a gaming-themed website, Facebook page, etc.
Finally: BE CONSISTENT.
If you post a video one week and then don’t post anything for months, there will be no way for people to get to know you, or to start looking forward to new content.
The best way to think about this is to use the common business analogy of the “pinwheel.” A pinwheel is a wheel that takes an awful lot of momentum to get started. However, once it starts spinning, nothing can stop it. So while you might take a long time to see much reward… keep at it.
It’s Hard
The thing to remember though, is that even with the best commentary, best game selection, and more, it’s not going to happen overnight. And in fact, it might not happen at all!
That means you really need to approach this in the right way: specifically, you need to approach it as someone who loves games and would be doing this for free anyway. If you spend a lot of evenings playing games, why not just try recording one and then seeing if that grows over time?
If you earn a little bit of cash for doing a small amount of extra work, then that’s a big win! And who knows what could happen with time?
More Ways to Earn Money From Games
But if you love gaming and need extra cash, then this is really just one option. There are countless other ways you can generate income from gaming, and many of these let you earn a whole lot more.
Some options include:
Game Testing
A game tester is someone who playtests games to make sure that they don’t have any bugs. Likewise, they can provide feedback regarding how enjoyable or difficult the game is, and how a developer might improve it.
There are lots of sites that let you do this. PlaytestCloud for instance lets you try out mobile games by email and then record your thoughts in a survey. If you want to do this professionally though, you should check out listings on sites like GlassDoor. The average salary for a games tester is reportedly $67,721!
Keep in mind that game testing is more complex than it sounds and actually involves some complicated processes. Matrix Testing for instance involve testing every combination of different variables in a game.
Entering Tournaments
Or why not become a competitive gamer? Sites like WorldGaming.com let you compete in select games such as Fortnite, Rocket League, Forza, and more for huge cash prizes! You could even be selected to play in a team and earn massive money from huge sponsorship deals. eSports is a big deal!
Farming
Finally, Farming is a process that involves building game profiles up to a large extent. For instance, you might try and earn lots of points or levels in games like RuneScape or Warcraft. From there, you then simply sell either the character and account, or specific items within the game! This takes a long time, but if you enjoy the game, it can be a fun way to earn!
