Top 5 ways to make money playing games:

Playing games is one thing millions of people do, all over the world. The world of gaming is open to all, regardless the age, race or gender. Thanks to our 21st-century tech advancements we have numerous high-quality, hd games available today that anyone can enjoy. From PlayStation and PC games to virtual reality games, there are just too many options available. 

In the past, gaming was seen as something meant for kids or jobless folks. But our world has far grown beyond that point. Playing games is something that has been scientifically proven to keep the human brain sharp and healthy, but more than that, it has evolved to something that can pay you. Yes, you can make money from playing games. And just so you know, there's more than one way to do this. 

In this article, I'm gonna be sharing the top 5 ways you can make money by playing games. 

Game clips

I'm sure you've come across a YouTube channel showing clips from a video game (probably a playstation or PC game like Mortal Kombat, Call of Duty, Or any Superhero game). 

If I'm correct, I'd assume you watched the video or even enjoyed it and went ahead to watch other videos. But did you know that the owner of that chanel is making a significant sum of money every single day? Yes. This is one easy way you can make money playing games. 

HD games always come with cutscenes where it's kind of like a movie inside the game. These scenes are usually epic, as they tell a major arc in the game storyline. What smart gamers usually do is to record and cut out these scenes, and then upload them on YouTube. 

If it's a really popular game, believe me it would only be a couple of days before that video hits a thousand views, as fans would not hesitate to click your game video and watch. 

I'm sure I don't need to talk about how YouTube pays you or how lucrative it is. With just a few weeks of consistency you can get your channel monetized. But even besides that, you can sell Affiliate products or game merch to your viewers and make money.

Make a YouTube channel and show boss fights

If you're a truly professional gamer in any game niche, any game at all, I recommend you use this strategy. I've seen YouTube channel owners make millions (with over 500k subscribers) just from posting difficult boss fights they played. 

This strategy doesn't apply to PC or virtual reality games alone, any game at all, even mobile games can earn you money. All you need to do is record yourself while beating the boss, and then upload the video. 

You can add voice overs too, as well as give tips on how you managed to score against the boss: this will definitely increase viewer retention and give you more subscribers. 

You can also use this strategy for other game scenes or fights, but usually boss fights are the ones that give the best results. Oh, and don't forget to tag/title your video properly!

Live streaming

This is another common way of making money through gaming. Only thing is, you need good data for it, and it's best when you have a good amount of subscribers or followership already. It's much like the previous method, only you don't really have to stream a specific fight. 

You can just stream yourself while playing the game, and then end the session when you're tired or when you beat the boss. You see, some folks may want to just see the boss fight, bit some folks may want to see the follow-up to the final battle, so they can learn your play style, get tips, and so on. 

One important thing though, is that you should always add a voiceover for this. In other words, there should be commentary throughout the video, otherwise viewers will get bored. 

Game reviews (for bloggers)

Know any popular game out there? Why not make a review about it and publish on your blog or on medium. I don't see a lot of folks doing this on medium (or even on regular websites) so I can guarantee you that it's a good niche to get into if you're a writer or blogger. It's one way you can make money playing games, without necessarily being a gamer. 

You don't necessarily have to play the game yourself before writing on it. You can ask a few gamers or fans what they feel about the video. Once you get a few opinions, you can then creatively decide on what review to give (whether positive or negative) and the angle to follow. You can also check sites like reddit and Quora to see what players are discussing in forums or asking (on Quora) so you can better get an idea of what to write on. 

I'm sure I don't have to explain how you can get money out of this. If you have a monetized blog (showing ads) this is just more content to give you more money. But even if you don't have ads to show, you can link your article to something else, perhaps another game, another post, or an affiliate link of some sort: just use your creativity. 

Win competitions

Some games do competitions and reward the winners with cash prizes. These competitions are usually done as a way of promoting the game, and most times they only favor professional gamers or those active in the game world (like discord and reddit forums). 

So it's not easy for regular part-time gamers to have wind of such info (afterall it's not like they announce it in the news). But if you're opportuned to see one such opportunity, grab it with both hands, cause it's one of the easiest ways you can make money by playing games. 

However, bear in mind that not all games reward contestants with cash prizes: sometimes it may be game prizes like game gear, game money, game characters, and so on. 

Test games before release

This is one of the best and most straightforward ways to make money playing games. You don't have to wait for Google ads or YouTube, and you don't need a huge audience or any platform. All you need is your phone or laptop, and the game at hand. 

In case you're not aware, companies always release their products (apps) for testing before officially publishing it. This process is done for most applications, and games are not an exception. 

If for instance, a game company wants to release a new game or a new version of an already-existing game, they'll release a beta version first, and give it out for testing and feedback. If the feedback is positive they'll go ahead to publish it, but if it's negative they'll review the software and make adjustments. 

The only problem with this method is that these game companies don't make open calls for game testers (unlike most software companies). So not too many people are even aware of these opportunities, talk more of taking advantage of it. To enjoy this method, you'll have to be a member of the "game testing community" and it's not something you see advertised on TV or anywhere. 

However, I've carefully fished out one such community, and you can join it here. But it's not free though, because you get to test pro games like "Call of duty" and the companies releasing these games pay their testers handsomely. 

You can think of this like a freelance job. All you have to do is accept the game, play for a few hours and then write a very honest review of the game and submit as feedback. You'll be paid based on the pre-negotiated sum. It's straightforward and easy, and you can earn as much as $300 per week from this. 

Sell game cheats or codes

Another one for the pro gamers. This is a very good strategy if you know a few cheat codes or cheat methods that not too many players of a particular game are aware of. Take GTA (Grand Theft Auto) for example, a lot of folks look for cheats online, to make gameplay easy. You can easily make money by selling these cheat codes. All you need is a website, or maybe a good ad. Or you can simply go to game forums and announce your cheat code. 

There's no limit to how much money you can make from this. It all depends on how much in demand the particular codes are, and how well you advertise them to the targeted audience. 

These are the top 5 ways to make money playing games. I can guarantee that any one of these ways can make you money, albeit some of them require a bit of patience and consistency. If you're looking to make money fast, then the best option in this list is to test newly-launched games and get paid. Only letdown, it's not free to start, unlike other methods.