7 Ways Video Gamers Make Money Playing Games at Home

Can video gamers make money online from home by playing video games?

Sure, they can.

How?

Well, that is what I am going to uncover in this article!

Be sure to bookmark this page if you want to try all these methods of making money by playing video games at home. At the end of this article, if you read it thoroughly, you will…

  • Learn why the video gaming industry is a super, evergreen market where lots of money is to be made.
  • Learn why there are lots of money-making opportunities for you and how to find them and where to go, and what steps to follow.
  • Find out several banking tons of money just doing simple tasks that only take 1-2 hours per day.
  • Know how to make more than what other people make from 9-5 jobs while doing something you are really passionate about and enjoy doing.
  • Learn how to build up a successful business based on online video gaming that will feed you for years to come without struggling to find new niches every month and year.
  • Learn why NOT to worry about finding video gaming traffic and places to find them.
  • Find out strategies to convert $1 into $40 per year (over 3,900% return on investment) by integrating a simple yet really powerful marketing tactic that only a few are doing. (Maybe they are lazy as few other video gamers!)
  • Find out how to make MORE money by helping other fellow video gamers. (It’s fun and exciting!)

Here are the 7 excellent ways how you can use video games to make money online.

Top 7 proven Ways to Make Money Playing Games from Home

DO YOU KNOW?

In 2017, there were 2.21 billion gamers worldwide, according to Statista, and that number was expected to reach 2.73 billion by 2021. Esports will also play a role in that growth. In 2020, 335 million people watched others play video games competitively, according to industry researcher Newzoo.

(Source: Fool.com)

Start a video gaming blog

Some people love to play video games EVERY DAY and test EVERY video game possible they can think of.

Some people like playing one type of game (e.g., action & adventure video games, racing video games) and play those games only.

If you fall into any of the above groups, if you have played at least 5-6 games, you should know which games are good and which games are wrong (according to your experience and knowledge). In this case, experience is the key.

What if you can share your experience with others and make money?

What if you can build a blog (like this) and share your experiences on each game?

If you check out the red box at the beginning of the article, you will find out that there were 2.21 billion gaming fans worldwide!

It’s a huge number. In fact, there are only a handful of markets with that amount of an audience.

And compared to other industries such as Ecom and markets such as SEO and affiliate marketing, Video gaming is fairly low competitive but has tremendous opportunities.

Here are a few things that you can blog about.

  • New video game releases
  • Video game tips and tricks
  • Cheat codes
  • Strategies to playing some video games
  • Download games
  • How-to guides
  • Round-up blog posts

There are lots of things you can talk about in video gaming. They aren’t limited to the above points.

Once you have clearly identified what to write on (anything related to video gaming), you can start a blog on WordPress.

WordPress is the world’s most popular blogging platform and the CMS (Content Management System). WordPress powers websites like Time, Entrepreneur, and Mashable.

Start your WordPress blog on Bluehost for less than $3.95 per month. You will get a free custom domain name when you sign up today. Bluehost is the recommended web hosting for WordPress sites by WordPress.org itself. So, you can trust your site won’t be vulnerable.

Start a YouTube/Twitch Channel

We are in an age where there are YouTube stars.

Teenagers make millions of dollars annually just by uploading videos to YouTube.

It’s no secret that people are intrigued by video gaming videos on both YouTube and Twitch social networks.

That is why there is a separate section for video gamers on YouTube, and Twitch is making one of the top 100 most popular websites worldwide.

Here is how you can make money by starting a YouTube channel related to video games.

  • Monetize your videos through the Google Adsense program
  • Participate in YouTube Partner Program and monetize your videos with third-party vendors
  • Partner with sponsors.
  • Review video games
  • Sell your products
  • Sell other people’s products and services by becoming an affiliate

In fact, there are YouTube video gaming channels with over one million YouTube subscribers.

Think of what you can do with a 1 million highly engaged audience.

  • Make money through PPC advertising.
  • Send them to your website and promote other stuff, such as gaming equipment.
  • Send traffic to your Shopify store and make more money
  • Start a giveaway using software like UpViral to grow your followers even more and incentivize them to do tasks such as following you on Instagram and growing your social media channels.
  • Send traffic to CPA (Cost Per Action) offers and earn money for each action, such as registering for a game, downloading a video game, etc.

Even better, if you go live on YouTube and Twitch, you can make money by playing video games from home in more ways, such as donations, comment upgrades, etc.

I recommend watching a few popular channels to see how to make money by playing games on YouTube and Twitch. You will find out that most people make more money by promoting their products.

Why?

Because they make more money through that!

Here’s a video that shows YouTube stars that make the most money! (Several of those YouTubers make money by playing games online!)

One of the best ways to tap into a huge video gaming audience is by starting your channels on YouTube and Twitch. Then make your follower base by uploading quality videos and using viral marketing techniques such as starting a giveaway on landmarks like the first 1,000 subscribers’ 1-year celebration.

Once you have a large following, start monetizing your videos through the abovementioned methods.

Start building a newsletter

Since the days of the Internet’s birth, email has got a special place in our lives.

Every service uses email as a medium of communication.

Look what Facebook uses if you are inactive for too long or someone has sent you a message.

How do Amazon and PayPal send you invoices?

Through Email, right? 3

Heck, even most people check their emails every day.

That is a BIG reason why your communication (if you are thinking of running an online business) should be mainly based.

Building your brand’s Instagram pages, Twitter accounts, and Pinterest pages is okay.

But you can control them. Your business is dependent on their hand.

That is another reason email is better for building an audience that matters for your business.

And ONE big reason why email is essential for your business is shown in the chart below.

return on investment of different channels

According to a study held by Adobe a few years ago, Email marketing gives the best return on investment. 

It’s over 3,900%!

It’s still true today as well. Although some things are changed, email still gets a high ROI compared to other marketing channels.

Here is how you can make money by building your email list.

  • Become an affiliate of video games and promote them through autoresponders.
  • Sell your own PDF guides and courses on playing specific video games.
  • Promote ClickBank affiliate products on video gaming.
  • Sell Amazon products by being an affiliate.

Making money with an email list is easier when you have an engaged audience. However, it doesn’t matter if the email marketing service to manage subscribers and send emails is not helpful.

If you are getting started and want to sell affiliate products, then use Aweber. It is affiliates-friendly and has been in this industry for a long time.

Become an Affiliate Marketer or JV Partner

One of the BIGGEST struggles most vendors or merchants face is finding customers.

It is an issue for EVERY seller, right?

Thanks to the affiliate marketing model, sellers and people like YOU both can be beneficial.

How?

Let’s assume that you used an amazing multiplayer video with your mates.

Now you want to introduce it to your neighbors and classmates.

How about getting a commission when you’re promoting the game?

Is it not awesome?

That is how the affiliate marketing business model is built on.

You become an affiliate of a product or service and are given a commission based on each conversion.

There are several pricing models.

  • CPS — Cost Per Sale – You will make money when someone purchases through you. (the most popular affiliate pricing model)
  • CPL — Cost Per Lead – You will make money when someone signs up through you. (e.g., Sign up for a video game waiting list)
  • CPA — Cost Per Action – You will make money when someone completes an action. One of the most popular models, particularly in the video game industry. Some CPAs are downloading a video game, achieving a level, and installing video gaming apps on their phone.

Your affiliate commissions may vary based on the funnel, commission rates, and prices. For example, you may be paid multiple times for each user’s activities.

  1. User sign up for the waiting list — CPL
  2. User download the game and install it — CPA
  3. User purchase the full version of the video game — CPS

Making money by playing video gaming at home isn’t hard if you are aware of online marketing. It all falls to the dedication and your effort into it.

For instance, depending on the affiliate program, your earnings and efforts you need to put on may vary.

  1. You can promote gaming equipment as an affiliate
  2. You can promote video games as an affiliates 
  3. You can promote T-shirts and other merchandise as an affiliate
  4. You can promote gaming software, tools, and apps as an affiliate

This whole making money video gaming from home as an affiliate marketer can change according to your affiliate network. Here are a few affiliate networks you can find good affiliate products to promote.

  1. ClickBank — Best for finding digital marketing products such as courses, eBooks, video guides, etc.
  2. JvZoo — Best for finding software-related affiliate products.
  3. ShareASale — Best for finding popular eCommerce-related websites that sell gaming products and tools. Read my ShareASale affiliate network review for more details.

You can find hundreds of affiliate products to promote on the above networks. Just make sure to apply for quality products as there are good and bad ones in each one.

How to Make Money promoting affiliate products as a video gamer online

Promoting gaming products as an affiliate among your close friends is cool. But, it is not viable. You might make several sales. That is it.

If you want to earn money as a video game tester from home without bothering your family or friends, you need to find alternatives; find better ways.

Here are a few ways how as a video gamer, you can earn money promoting affiliate programs from home.

  1. Review video games and other gaming products on your blog or YouTube channel
  2. Write How-to guides on your blog.
  3. Compare your affiliate product and other alternatives
  4. Promote affiliate products through email marketing. Use Aweber for building an email list.
  5. Use forum marketing
  6. Use classified advertising
  7. Use blog commenting
  8. Use social networks to promote products
  9. Start a giveaway using software like UpViral and promote your affiliate products.
  10. Use influencer marketing strategies to promote gaming affiliate products.

Follow the above tips to earn money by playing video games at home as an affiliate marketer. You need to have some skill sets to promote more efficiently in less time. They are…

Affiliate marketing can make you more money per month EVEN without you having to worry about customer support and questions etc.

As a video game player, you can save more time by being an affiliate marketer because it’s only needed a few hours per week.

Become a freelance gamer

Yes, there are freelance gig opportunities as a video gamer.

Check out these Fiverr gigs.

fortnite-fiverr-gigs
Fortnite Gig: Make money playing Fortnite from home

This guy from the United Kingdom should be making $$$ per week by playing Fortnite from home.

fortnite-coach-gig-fiverr
Fortnite Coach: Earn money playing Fortnite at home by training others

Making money with freelancing is not as hard as most people think.

But, for sure, there are some works to be done.

The best platform to get started on freelancing is Fiverr.

Why?

  • Fiverr is a large freelance network.
  • Millions of buyers are looking for your skill.
  • Gig pricing starts from $5, but you can raise it higher
  • Fiverr is newbie-friendly. In fact, they support new talents.
  • Once you start making money as a video gamer on Fiverr, you can increase your earnings.
  • Getting the first sale is easy on Fiverr.
  • Lots of payout options, such as PayPal and Payoneer.

Making your first $1 online as a freelancer (or any marketer) is the most challenging thing. Once you crack the code, you can be unstoppable.

Learn how to make your first $1 online on Fiverr.

Become an influencer

Check out these screenshots:

Twitch promotion fiverr gigs
Twitch Promotion gigs on Fiverr

Promote businesses on your Twitch stream.

twitch-stream-social-media-promotion-fiverr-gig
Twitch stream shoutout gig on Fiverr

Earn money by making a gaming video or gameplay at home. This freelancer from India provides gaming videos from a wide range, including Fortnite, Far Cry, Crysis, GTA, and Assassin’s Creed.

video-gameplay-fiverr-gig
Fortnite video gameplay Fiverr gig – Get paid to play Fortnite at home

Or make money by providing YouTube shoutouts.

youtube-shoutout-fiverr-gig
YouTube shoutout gig on Fiverr

You can start providing influencer marketing services if you have a large social media following, particularly on networks like Twitch, YouTube, Discord, and Tumblr.

One of the most popular influencer marketing services is shoutouts.

There are dedicated websites that provide shoutout services for customers worldwide. Here are services that help influencers to sell ShoutOuts and social media promotions.

Becoming an influencer is a bit difficult. But, it’s not that harder, especially for the video gaming industry, as of lots of engaging audiences. Once you have built an engaging audience, you can start making money.

If done rightly, Influencer marketing can make you big money by promoting other people’s channels and websites on your social accounts.

Instagram influencers and YouTube influencers are banking big money these days because of their popularity.

Start building your social media following preferred social networks using tools like ContentStudio, and then start offering shoutout services. Learn more in the ContentStudio review.

Start a membership site/course or Forum

When it comes to making money online, there are TWO critical things that EVERY internet marketer should focus on (or want).

They are,

  1. Traffic — The blood of a business. It doesn’t matter how superb your product/service is if you don’t have traffic. No one will buy it. 
  2. Conversions — Converting visitors into loyal customers, then business advocates, is another crucial aspect of your business. There are lots of variants that cause conversions.

Comparing different methods of driving traffic such as Organic (or SEO or search engines), Paid Advertising such as Google Adwords, Reddit ads, Popup ads, Growth hacking methods such as viral marketing, and email traffic such as solo ads, you can’t deny the power of a highly engaged website traffic.

Usually, a forum on the gaming niche is getting tons of engagement.

Why?

For the mere reason that people are very interested in video gaming! Starting a forum for a gaming niche or a sub-niche such as car games, mobile games, and fighting games could drive tons of traffic over time.

And once you have got a forum or membership site that receives high traffic, you can start monetizing it differently. Some of them are,

  • Use banner advertising: Use Google Display ads from Google Adsense to display banner ads on your forum.
  • Use affiliate marketing: Some plugins automatically hyperlink keywords into affiliate links. You can use affiliate programs such as Amazon associates to make more money on the go.
  • Offer paid subscriptions: You can only have exclusive content for paid members. Use cart software like ThriveCart to manage subscriptions very smoothly and efficiently.
  • Offer direct advertising opportunities:  There are even networks like BuySellAds.com specializing in connecting advertisers and publishers. You can go one step further and offer direct advertising opportunities through your site.
  • Run contests/giveaways from time to time: Sweepstakes not only can grow your forum or membership site but also make you money. Use a giveaway software like UpViral to run contests and giveaways. Check the UpViral.com review to learn more details, including the pros and cons.

Starting a forum might be difficult, especially for a video gamer. But, once you create your forum, you can see money comes without you having to do a particular thing.

There are many free and open-source forum software that you can host on your own server to start a forum under your name. Check out these Internet forum software comparisons by Wikipedia for more details.

Conclusion on making money playing video games

You can make money by playing games at home.

The tactics would be different depending on the method you have chosen to earn money as a video gamer.

For example, it takes time to manage a website or forum but doesn’t make money playing games as a video game tester.

If you were looking for the best ways to make money playing video games, these 7 ways are widely used, and people are earning money with these methods!

Follow one method and start making money on the Internet while being a video gamer. So, what is your best way of making money as a gamer?

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