How You Can Turn Gaming Into an Actual Career

In the early days of video games, it was an activity purely seen as recreational. Fast forward two decades, gaming is now a viable career path that can actually pay better than traditional jobs. But before you fall in love with the idea of spending your weekday afternoons button-mashing Mario Kart and getting paid to do it, you'll have to actively work towards transforming your favorite hobby into a legitimate career that pays. Here are five common ways to do just that:

ESports Athlete

ESports is continuing to grow in size as more people embrace it. In fact, according to a2021 Esports Ecosystem report, the industry is set to surpass $1.5 billion by 2023. The highest-paid athletes in the industry can also serve as a testament to the legitimacy of eSports. The top-earning player, Johan Sundstein or better known by his in-game handle "N0tail", has amassed a fortune of roughly $7 million from winning tournaments in the popular MOBA game, Dota 2. The road to becoming a professional eSports athlete, however, can be long and winding. You'll need to put in thousands of hours of practice and find the right team that can give you the support and structure you need.

Streamer

For avid gamers who aren't camera-shy or have the personality of a rock, you can also pursue a career as a video game streamer. Perhaps the most common place to launch this particular career path is through Twitch and YouTube, but you can also start streaming on social media sites, like Facebook. You'll want to doll up your profile on whichever platform you plan on streaming your games. The better your profile is, the more visible it becomes to potential subscribers. Make sure to maximize your visibility by posting content, such as gaming highlights, on other game-related platforms as well. Popular streamers on Twitch can make anywhere between $3,000 to $5,000 per month while the top streamers can earn significantly more.

Game Developer

For those who enjoy making games as much as they do playing them, a career in game development can be a financially and spiritually rewarding career path. When starting a career as a game developer, you'll need to be comfortable with coding using any of the commonly used programming languages, such as JavaScript, Python, and C++. You can choose to either develop games completely on your own or work for a game studio, like Blizzard or Zynga. Each option has its own pros and cons i.e. working for a company gives you income stability but may also restrict creativity. In addition to solid coding skills, you'll also need an artistic side to be able to come up with ideas and user experiences that people will want to play.

Cosplayer

Cosplay is a big part of the gaming culture. In a nutshell, cosplayers design and create hyper-realistic costumes. Typically, the cosplay designs are based on video game characters. And while this niche is still considered by many as a hobby, cosplayers are finding more ways to make money off it. One of the common ways to profit from cosplay is by designing and selling custom gear to your followers or other cosplay enthusiasts. In addition to costumes, you can also create video tutorials on how to make said gear. Top cosplayers, such as Jessica Nigri, also make their money by making an appearance at gaming events and conventions, like Comic-Con. It is also common for video game publishers to hire cosplayers to help them promote an upcoming video game launch.

ESports Coach

This is a common career trajectory for esports athletes who no longer wish to compete in tournaments. Coaches play a vital role in an eSports team, despite them not actually playing in front of a screen. Every professional video game team or club employs a coach to serve as their strategist and analyst. As a coach, you are in charge of analyzing past gameplays and then developing the best strategy for your team to win their future matches.

Final Thoughts

While it's definitely possible to turn gaming into a paying career, it's important that you draw a clear line between work and play during your day-to-day routine. Actual effort and strategizing are needed to position yourself as a paid professional gamer.