7 Steps to Turn Your Gaming Hobby into a Lucrative Career

Some may consider the time people spend playing video games to be nothing more than a simple waste. However, the fact of the matter is that playing video games brings plenty of joy to people. And the time spent doing what you like is certainly not wasted. But did you know that some people even found a way to turn their gaming hobbies into lucrative careers?

This not only allowed them to do the thing they like – and earn money, but it also provided them with a unique way to earn a living. If this sounds like something you would gladly do, do know that there are several ways you can go about it. Here are just some of them.

Decide on how you want to approach pro gaming

The first thing you’ll need to decide is how you want to approach the goal of becoming a pro gamer. Participating in competitive gaming is always an option. If you choose this path, research what are some of the most lucrative games. Once you do that, it comes the time to start practicing. Ideally, you should find ways to earn money from games you already know and love. This will make the learning curve much easier and it will require less time to perfect your skill. The time you spend getting familiar with this new type of gaming will be the time during which you won’t be earning any money. So, make sure you’re financially stable to support yourself during this period. Ideally, you shouldn’t quit your day job until you start earning enough from gaming.

Practice makes perfect

The part of the process of becoming a pro gamer that will take the longest is the practice. Ideally, you should first find games that allow you to practice your skills against various AIs and bots. This way you’ll be able to get the feel of the game and learn the important skill rotation. Most commonly, you’ll also get the chance to select the difficulty level. Many people make the mistake of choosing the easiest level to start with. That way they unnecessarily prolong the time required to master some of the more complicated skills. Instead, you should always choose one below the most difficult setting and start from there. Sure, it will seem nearly impossible in the beginning, but you’ll be able to master gameplay far faster that way.

Other players are not bots

Next, it’s important to mention that playing against bots is nowhere similar to playing against real people. No matter how elaborate the bots are, they become quite predictable over time. That’s why you should try your luck against real people as well before you move onto real competitive gaming. Here, multiplayer games can be of great assistance. Once you start playing a multiplayer game, you’ll get the chance to communicate with other players. They can offer you some invaluable tips and tricks on how the game works. Of course, every single game is different which is why you should focus perfecting your skill in the genre you’ll be mostly focusing on in the future.

Research professional gamers

Once you get the feel for the game and master your skill, you should research some of the top players in your niche. If you can, access their streams and try to really pay attention to their gaming style. Focus on the way they’re playing and try to pick up as much knowledge as you can. Research their moves and focus on their skill rotation to understand the pattern. Of course, you can always try to replicate those moves when practicing, but do know that every gamer’s style is unique. What this means is that while copying others can be of huge help, you should still try to create your own style.

Look for tournaments and competitive gaming opportunities

When you feel like your skill and style have become more than just decent, you should start looking for opportunities to monetize your knowledge. There are plenty of competitive gaming tournaments and other opportunities that will allow you to do so. No matter which genre of games you prefer, you’ll easily find something of this sort. For instance, aside from already well-known MOBA tournaments, you can now partake in casino games tournaments as well. If you’re not sure how slot tournaments work, as an example, you can find plenty of information on reliable websites. So, make sure you do some research and find ways to turn your hobby and your skill into profit.

Try to be the best at what you do

With different games come different gaming styles, we’ve already mentioned that. But what’s really important is to try and identify what feels the most natural to you and stick with it. For instance, in various MMORPG and MOBA games there are plenty of unique races and classes. What sets them apart – aside from their looks – are their unique abilities. So, if you’re looking to earn money from playing this type of game, find the race and class you feel the most comfortable with. In games, such as Guild Wars 2, there are even some special abilities that are race-specific. So, for instance, you may not find Asuras to be all that different from other races in the game, but their race-specific abilities are what makes all the difference.

Invest in your gaming equipment

It’s important to understand that you simply can’t expect to turn your gaming into a career if you’re playing on a potato. Of course, not all games are equally demanding, so you may not have to upgrade your rig significantly. But make sure your internet connection is top-notch if you’re playing online games. Additionally, make sure you have more RAM than you think you’ll need. Also, ensure that your CPU and graphic card are stronger than the game’s optimal requirements. This way you can rest assured that you’ll eliminate any potential hardware-caused hiccups. In the end, see to it that you maintain your gaming rig on a regular basis, as it has become your main bread-maker.

Personalize settings

Every game comes with pre-set game settings that most casual players never change. These are the one-size-fits-all settings that every player starts their journey with. However, if you’re planning to play games for a living, you’ll probably want to personalize them a bit. Play with different settings and see how you can personalize them to be more aligned with your gaming style. That said, you should probably avoid modding the game too much as some tournaments won’t allow heavy mods. So, ideally, you should stick to the original game engine, and only personalize the settings and controls to fit your style of gaming.

Create exposure for yourself

Next, you should really look for ways that will enable you to create exposure for yourself. The more people see you, the greater your exposure will be. That’s why you should market yourself on social media. As a pro gamer, you’ve basically become your own business and brand. That’s why you should get as much exposure as you can. This will expose you to an interested following and make some other business deals possible. Create your own YouTube channel or even your own blog. There, you can share your experiences and tips with other gamers. You can also inspire other people looking to follow your path. In the end, you can also use these channels to secure some additional funding.

Be true to your brand

As mentioned earlier, as a pro gamer, you’ve become your own brand. That’s why you need to start acting as a brand online. Establish your online presence and start posting content. Make sure you always keep things professional when interacting with others. Also, you can easily start streaming as well and have that become your second line of income. Even though the world of streamers is a bit oversaturated, if you manage to stand out, you can easily earn a decent income. Look for other incentives that will help you boost your career and gain even more recognition for yourself.

Research available sponsorships

Gaming sponsorships work differently depending on the niche you’re in. Some sponsors will be willing to snag you before the competition and sponsor your entire participation. Others will look for gamers that display great potential and try to make a deal mid-tournament. Either way you can choose which of these work best for you. The first will sponsor your entire participation at a pre-determined rate. With the latter, you’ll sometimes get a chance to negotiate a more lucrative deal. However, whichever you choose, make sure you read thoroughly any documents you need to sign, to entirely understand the terms. And remember, any document and deal you’ve agreed upon needs to be followed entirely by both parties.

Enjoy your new gaming career

Finally, once you’ve established yourself as a professional gamer, it’s time to relax and enjoy your new career. Becoming a professional gamer is not something that can happen overnight. It requires hard work and devotion just like any other business would. However, the difference here is that you’ll be doing something that you actually love. On top of that, the fact that you’ve found a way to turn your gaming hobby into a lucrative career will make it that more special. So, make sure you enjoy it thoroughly.

These were just some of the basic steps you need to focus on if you wish to turn your gaming hobby into a lucrative career. But by ensuring that you cover all of these, anything else won’t be too difficult to handle.