At one point in your life, you have probably come across the motivational quote: Do what you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. Well, that’s all good. But, what if you love playing video games? Can you make money from that?

Thanks to the internet and the modern lifestyle, people are making money from the oddest sources possible. In this day and era, you can earn real money just by playing video games. This way, you get to hit two birds with one stone; enjoy playing games and get paid while at it.

If you’re researching this, you probably are great at playing video games. And if not, through training, you can become a guru. Let’s dive straight into some of the ways you can get paid to play video games.

1. Test Video Games

An average video game tester earns $67,800 per year. And this is why this is at the top of our list on how to get paid to play video games. Hundreds of new games are released daily. And before these games are distributed to the market, game developers often hire game testers to look for bugs and give recommendations on how the games can be tweaked to suit the needs of the entire market.

You can bag such an amount every year and more, depending on your gaming efforts. Testing video games, however, isn’t similar to your ordinary gaming sessions. You have to put in a lot of work such as trying out all characters, determining if they match up, finding glitches and bugs that affect the gameplay. If you are methodical and analytic, then this is the best way for you to get paid to play video games.

2. Start a YouTube Channel

As a video game lover, you can bear witness that you did seek some assistance or guidance on YouTube when playing certain games. For example, looking up what is the best formation to use on Fifa 2020. This platform can open up a window of opportunities for you and send thousands if not millions to your bank account.

Are you familiar with the YouTube star PewDiePie? In 2017, he recorded an annual earning of $12 million. Ranking him as the 6th paid YouTuber. Similar to other successful YouTube stars, he started as a game commentary.

The list of things you can do on YouTube is endless. You can offer tips, advice, guidance, review, or even advertise your favorite games. And once you attract enough viewers, you will start getting ads both from Adsense and partnerships. If you are good enough, you might even get sponsorships from Game Developers. Start a gaming YouTube channel if you are a pro gamer and have great storytelling skills.

3. Stream on Twitch

Twitch is a popular streaming platform for gamers. There, you get to watch other players play your favorite video game. On this platform, you can earn about $30,000 a year, which is pretty great especially for doing something you like. The earnings come from sponsorships, ads, and Twitch subscribers.

Similar to YouTube, on Twitch you must start building your following from scratch. You can start streaming playing popular games. Be creative and engaging to get as many subscribers as possible. Once you reach 500 minutes of broadcast within 30 days, 50 plus followers and 3 plus concurrent viewers. You are set to go.

4. Compete in Tournaments and Earn Cash Prizes

On a rate of 1 to 10, where would you rate your video game skills? If you are an 8 and over, then you should compete in tournaments. For players who are always beating their buddies on Call of Duty, Fortnite, and such games, then you can compete amongst other skilled players. And if you win, take home the cash prize.

Although not a stable source of income, competing in tournaments isn’t only fulfilling for the gamer but it can be rewarding. You can discover or get discovered by other professionals such as game developers to test their video games. You never know when an opportunity might present itself. Therefore, never stop looking.

5. Venture into Game Developing

Have you always had a game idea that you think would sell in the current market? Well, why don’t you bring it into life? Game Developing is the jackpot of getting paid to play video games. An average video game developer earns a salary of $83,000 per year. This pay is quite pleasant but you will need to work for it.

First and foremost, knowing how to play video games isn’t enough. You must understand programming languages such as C++, be analytical, creative, and up to date with the current gaming trends. Most of these skills can be learnt online thanks to e-learning sites such as Udemy.

There are two roads you can follow when venturing into game development; freelance or work for major game companies. Freelancing gives you the freedom to work on your ideas whereas working with a leading company, you get exposure and experience that will further your knowledge. Both also have their drawbacks because as a freelancer, you may not have enough funding to market your game. And working for major gaming companies is characterized by long working hours which can be quite stressful.

Nonetheless, game developing is quite rewarding. A good example of a success story is Minecraft which was developed by Markus Persson.

6. Be Part of an eSport Team

Esport has grown to be quite popular and rewarding with players earning up to $5,000 a month. To get signed on an eSport team, you must be exceptionally good at a certain game. The best way to approach this strategy is by focusing on one game and sharpening your skills. From there, start showcasing your skills on YouTube and Twitch. From there, your odds of getting recruited will be very high.

Other ways on how you get signed include going to social media and marketing yourself. Coaching beginner players, enrolling as a referee on these matches. And if these don’t work, you can host your own eSports events.

These are 6 solid ways on how to get paid to play video games. The best way to maximize your earnings is by trying as many of these strategies as possible until you find those you are good at. If playing video games is your hobby, you should know that you can get paid for it.