Can I Make Money Playing Video Games? YES Here is How
Last Update: Dec 7, 2019
Have you ever played a video game so long that a full day had passed by? I know that has happened to me several times. Have you ever asked, can I make money playing video games? If you are an avid or casual player the answer is yes. I will explain how in this post.
For those interested in choosing Video Games as the niche for your website business or if you know someone who is considering this as a niche, the information I share in this blog post will help. Anyone can earn money in this niche. Please share this information.
GAME TESTERS DO NOT PLAY GAMES
Before I tell how you can earn money by "Playing" video games let me state a fact. This has absolutely nothing to do with video game testing because real testers do not play video games as a job. Playing only takes up 5% of the job a video game tester performs.
Back when I worked in the video game industry and especially when I was the manager of the QA (Quality Assurance) department, I used to get a ton of offers from job seekers. Most were young adults and even from parents about their kids being good at games.
Being able to play and beat video games is not a good enough requirement for being a video game tester. This was something that those seeking the job as a tester could not understand, same goes for those parents. Most people do not realize what a tester actually does.
Yet they still think it would be a really fun job. How would you like it if you hated playing puzzle games, but were forced to test such a game for several weeks straight? And by testing I mean focusing all your testing efforts on only the submit score aspect of the game.
Or perhaps you being a male, had to spend a few months testing all the makeup and costume options in a Barbie Doll dress-up video game. Does this characterization of what a video game tester must do, still make you think that being a tester is a fun job?
My #1 ability required before anyone became a tester was if that person was detail oriented and could clearly explain what he or she had seen. Once that tester finds a bug they must be able to repeat it a few times and then write a step-by-step process on how it happened.
This is very important for when the bug is supposedly fixed by the programmer. The tester must take the newly fixed code and go back and try several times to recreate the bug they had previously found. If they cannot, the bug is fixed. Does that still sound like a fun job?
CAN YOU MAKE MONEY PLAYING GAMES?
In order to play the games you want and make money from your actions, you need to approach this opportunity with a wide view on categories. These are the things that people are looking to spend money on like software, hardware, accessories and virtual.
The money making process regardless of the category you choose, will require you to have a website and blog. This process can be in the form of either affiliate marketing or e-commerce drop shipping. I would recommend it is affiliate marketing for more income potential.
In the drop shipping model you are tied to one particular supplier in most cases. However, with affiliate marketing you can be affiliates with a couple of different video game and accessories retailers, giving you more of a variety of related products to make money from.
Plus the affiliate marketing model is a much easier way to earn. You do not have to deal directly with the person making the purchase. All you are doing is writing up informative content on your website, then recommending where your readers can make a purchase.
Obviously for the majority of you who are reading this, you already know where and how this can be accomplished. For those of you reading this blog who are not members of Wealthy Affiliate, WA for short, becoming a FREE Member can get you started in the right direction.
With many things that will have a positive financial impact on your future, getting the right education and the supportive tools is essential. Being a member of WA will give you everything you need, except your own determination, to experience success in your niche.
CHOOSE YOUR NICHE WISELY
When starting a video games niche website many people tend to focus solely on the games or consoles for what they are going to promote. However, there are so many other websites that already do that and unless you have a new way to attract traffic it may be a lost cause.
Below is a list of niche categories that should be considered instead of games and consoles. These are more specific and less saturated, giving you a better chance to capture traffic (need to find those good keywords first) and more customers.
- Accessories
- Clothing
- Computers
- Cosplay Apparel
- Consoles (Saturated)
- Design Software
- Electronics
- Gambling
- Games (Saturated)
- Guides for Game Play and/or Strategy
- Handhelds
- Online Services
- RMT (Real Money Trade)
- Toys
- Video Game Rental Membership (like GameFly)
- VR (Virtual Reality)
MAKE YOUR NICHE MORE NARROW
Though Games and Consoles are listed above those two niches are both broad saturated niche categories, but I will provide some examples in just a bit. Even the niche category of Accessories should be narrowed down into mini niches like the following.
- Flight Sticks (for any type of flying game)
- Foot Peddles & Steering Wheel Combo (for any type of driving game)
- Gaming Headsets (for either PC, PS4 or Xbox & either Wired or Wireless)
Did you see how I took the broad niche of Video Game Accessories and narrowed it down into specific mini niches? I started thinking of all the different types of accessories that people use when playing video games beyond just the standard controllers that come with the game.
Even though there are many more types of accessories (Chairs, Cameras, Monitors, Mice, Track Balls,...), I just used the three most popular to give you an idea of how someone could choose one of those video game accessory niches and what to promote.
Let me give you another two video game sub niches that are similar and a couple of their more narrowed down mini niches. Clothing and Cosplay Apparel. Even though both are clothing, Cosplay Apparel is separate and could be narrow enough. Here's some examples...
CLOTHING
- Game and game company specific t-shirts for Men and/or Women (Call of Duty, Mario Kart, Pac Man, Atari, Nintendo, EA Sports...)
- Game company specific hats (Origin, Microsoft, Activision,...)
- General gaming hoodies and shirts
COSPLAY
- Cosplay costumes for Men (Mortal Combat Scorpion, Halo Master Chief, Assassin Altair,...)
- Cosplay costumes for Women (Tomb Raider - Lara Croft, Dynasty Warriors - Zhen Ji, Team Rocket - Jessie,...)
- Cosplay costume accessories (Masks, Swords, Guns, Ammo Belts, Helmets, Power Gloves,...)
- Cosplay convention and event news
- Cosplay guides for DIY (Do It Yourself) costume ideas
Personally I think the sub video game niche of Cosplay is a very up and coming popular niche. Cosplay is not just popular with TV, movie and comic book characters. Being that the video game market is absolutely massive, Cosplay is a big rage here as well.
WHAT ABOUT CONSOLES & GAMES?
As I mentioned early on in this post, both Consoles and Games are the two most common sub niches in the broader video games niche that people tend to focus on. However, these two are quite saturated. Unless you have a unique angle in how to promote them it maybe difficult.
If I were to choose Consoles for my niche I would focus in on one particular model like the PlayStation 4 (PS4) and only provide in depth information and reviews of the console itself. I would also include any and all relevant industry news and promote accessories.
CONSOLES: For example my topics or categories would include:
- PS4 Console Variations (Different Colors, Different Sized Memory)
- PS4 Extra Long Wired Controllers
- PS4 Wireless Controllers
- PS4 Accessories (Flight Sticks, Steering Wheels, Accelerate & Brake Peddles,...)
- PS4 General Care Maintenance Guides
- PS4 Repair Services
- PS4 Carrying Case
- PS4 Clothing (Hats, Hoodies, t-shirts,...)
Even though the above are all mini niches, because my niche is focused on one particular type of console, it would be best for me to include them all under the broader PlayStation 4 niche. This gives me a better way to stand out above just a site catering to the console alone.
As for choosing the games themselves as the niche I would focus in on a specific Genre of game. Like I would choose to review and give late breaking news on upcoming games in the Shooter niche, Fighting niche, Driving niche, Anime niche, Sports niche, Retro Game niche,...
GAMES: For example my topics & categories for the Sports niche would first focus in on a particular type of sport, seeing how there are so many. Let us say I choose Football as my sub niche. Well there is both Soccer and American (College & NFL) football. I would do both:
- FIFA Soccer
- Pro Evolution Soccer
- Madden NFL Football
- Blood Bowl
- ESPN NFL
- College Football USA
- NFL Blitz
- Mutant League Football
I would then split them into three Categories: Handhelds, PlayStation and Xbox. Under each Category I would have four Sub Categories: Soccer, College Football, NFL Football & Alternative Football. Then place the appropriate content under each sub category.
By just focusing in on one type of sport, in this case football, I can promote games in this specific niche for play on a PlayStation, Xbox and Handhelds like the PlayStation Vita, Nintendo 2DS/3DS, Nintendo Switch, and even Smartphone Apps.
GET MONEY PLAYING VIDEO GAMES
With the information I have shared with you above, anyone looking for ways that they could be making money playing video games can now have an idea of how to start. An affiliate marketing website in the video games niche can be quite fun to operate and profitable too.
Unlike testing video games you will get to choose which kind of games you will play and which ones to promote. You do not have to play every single game that you recommend and make money on, unless you want to. If you do renting through GameFly is a good option.
Obviously you will want to play the games you are reviewing to give your personal in depth review and opinion. But there will be times that you may be able to get enough information from credible sources. Personally I would play the majority of the games I review.
If the video games niche is how you would like to earn money from the comfort of your home, use the information in this post to help you get started. If you are not a member of Wealthy Affiliate, click the Green Join Now button above and I will be more than happy to help you.
If you have any questions or comments on what you have just read, please leave them below in the comments section. Remember as with all broad niches like Video Games, don't just choose the obvious common sub niches. Spend some time to break it down like I did above.
Recent Comments
38
Wow ! That's a lot of info , I don't play games but I have played the big machines years ago at some places like restaurants and other places .
They can be quite addictive , I'am afraid I would get addicted to playing them ! I can remember playing a game for 4 or 5 hours at a time !
If I do plan on getting into it this niche this post would be excellent to follow thanks😜👌
Video games is a very huge and very profitable and popular niche market to get into. Because it is so addicting to many people it is also something that people will spend a lot of money on. Hopefully the information in this post will help all who are thinking of getting into this particular niche
Well, you have presented a well-developed idea (or a couple of them) to anyone interested. Good one!
Thank you. I wanted to present to people who might be thinking of getting into the video game niche that there are other options to look at other than the games in the machines they play them on.
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Hi Boomer, interesting post considering my niche is video gaming for older adults (I am 63 years old) and families. If you don't mind could you look at my website gamingwithgrandpa.com, I would appreciate any thoughts or comments on how I may improve my website?
I have a Playstation 4 and an Xbox One. I am planning on narrowing my posts to specific products eventually.
I have been trying to develop some authority about the different subjects within the gaming industry, pros, and cons. I know I haven't gotten into reviewing products yet, but I will.
I am trying to show I am taking this subject seriously.
I have already done a lot of research and work on the posts on my website already.
I have gotten a lot of positive feedback from various people.
I have really enjoyed putting my website together.
I want my website to be more than just selling stuff. I want it to be informative and helpful for people (especially older adults) who may be new or uninformed about video games.
I am still in the development stage of my website.
I hope the money will come as people will come to trust what I write.
As my website grows it will get narrower and narrower with the sub-niches.
I feel the content is okay. The website is indexed very well. Most of all the posts have been indexed as well. I want to make money off my website, but I also want it to be a good go-to website for information and facts about the video gaming industry.
I feel I am on the right track, but I would appreciate any help or advice you can offer.
Thanks, Boomer.
johnny
Also, if it is too broad how can I keep what I have already done and somehow fix or tweak the website in your opinion? Thanks, johnny
I'll take a look at it later today and get back to you.
I hope you can help me salvage my website and help me monetize it without starting over. Thanks for your help. johnny
Hey Johnny, I looked through your website and I really liked it. I didn't read all of your posts but several of them I did, especially the ones I was interested in reading if you got it right, like the association of violent kids with violent video games.
Every time I hear so-called gurus in behavior or news opinionists say that violent video games are the cause or part of the cause that young adults are acting violently, I always shout at the TV, "THAT IS FALSE! LEARN THE FACTS!"
Seeing how I spent about 25 years in the video game industry and have done and experienced much of what you cover, I enjoyed your content. I don't think your niche is too broad because your focus is about the industry as a whole.
The only thing I would suggest that you do to make your content better would be to occasionally embed relevant YouTube videos that enhance the subject matter. It doesn't have to be on every post. I would say no more than 25% of your content.
Example, I have two videos on a post I did about making money playing video games. I do not recommend two videos in one post, but on those rare occasions it can be effective. The first video I used was to introduce Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.
I didn't have to use that first video but it was of a game that my friend Glen Schofield's company Sledgehammer Games developed and it showcased a part of the game still under development. Like a sneak peak in what was to come.
You can use videos like that to help show video games during the design stages. Or you can showcase game play to help add value to your content of a particular game you like or maybe the types your granddaughter beats you in all the time. :-)
I am not sure if you know this but every May/June, the video game industry has a HUGE convention in Los Angeles call E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo). You can gain a lot about upcoming and newly released games and technology.
Matter of fact that first video I used in my post about Call of Duty was produced for release at E3 in 2014. You can view that first video in my post at the link below and will see how I tied it into the flow of my content.
https://legitimatejobfromhome.com/how-to-make-money-playing-video-games-at-home
Hi Boomer,
First, I want to thank you for taking the time to look at my website. It means a lot to me, especially considering the experience you have in the subject.
I respect your opinion and value your input.
I went to the link: https://legitimatejobfromhome.com/how-to-make-money-playing-video-games-at-home
If I wasn’t already a WA member, this post would have helped me take the step to join.
I watch the Call of Duty videos. Those were awesome. I loved the action where the character was jumping from bus to bus shooting the bad guys.
Those are exactly the kind of videos I plan to add to my website eventually.
I try to watch the E3 convention every year. I will pay a lot more attention to it this year. I will be looking for ideas to add more content to my website and product views.
I was so afraid I was way too broad, and I might be wasting my time and effort.
I don’t feel that way now after reading your advice and thoughts.
I also ask Kyle about this as well. He basically said the same thing in different words.
I thought I was on the right track, but I doubted myself. I must stop doing that and I will.
Kyle’s advice and yours have helped me so much.
I am tired of living in fear and thinking “I am not good enough”.
You have helped me realize, I am good enough and what I create matters.
I hope you don’t mind, but you are one of my go-to guys for future advice. Especially since you have done this, and you know what you are talking about. I can tell.
Kyle and you have motivated me to push forward and know I can do this.
I just need to keep the passion burning and see where gamingwithgrandpa.com takes me.
Boomer, again, thank you so much. You have been a Godsend to me; I needed your input.
God bless you, brother.
Johnny, the Grey Wolf, Watcher of the Woods.
Looking forward to spending more time with you in the future.
It was my pleasure Johnny.