Forgive the harsh start off tone, but in case you thought that online gaming is just there as a fun activity, you might want to think again. Over the last decade, this once top source of entertainment has grown into more of a serious business. Comparing it to other mainstream business ideas anyone can ever think about, the gaming industry is just as fresh in the competition. Thanks to the influence of modern technology and the continued introduction of new tech gadgets, gaming has gradually evolved into a large, powerful industry. As a matter of fact, gaming has gained deep roots in the society, such that it has become an important part of most people’s lifestyle.
With that being said, online gaming has indeed managed to attract a great deal of attention, right left, and center across the world. In this age and day, gaming enthusiasts, investors, startup entrepreneurs, and corporate bodies, all have a keen eye on the world of gaming. For instance, some of the biggest names in gadgets and electronic manufacturing such as Sony, LG, HTC, and Samsung, among others, have taken the gamers’ experience a notch higher by introducing virtual reality headsets. As a matter of fact, the popularity of virtual reality gaming has been seen to keep Microsoft, Dell, Apple, Lenovo, and other tech companies on their toes developing VR-compatible computers and smart devices.
All this, combined with the fact that cryptocurrencies are increasingly gaining popularity as a reliable and safer way to transact online, has seen the gaming world create a myriad of business opportunities. This brings us to the big question that this article seeks to answer! What are some of the ways you can make money and improve your lifestyle out of gaming?
Well, here are some pointers on some business ideas that online gamers and investors alike can find profitable.
1. Open a Training Center
One of the ways you can make money if you have some level of experience in online gaming is to offer training sessions for rookie players or aspirants. Regardless of whatever industry it is, training has always been one of the most profitable businesses. Just like any other industry, most passionate individuals in gaming have an unending desire to move up the ranks, develop their skills and so to speak, UP their game. Most of them could use a mentor or tutor who will equip them with the knowledge and skills required to become pros at what they love doing most.
Better yet, more and more rookies and new players are getting hooked into gaming and could use the expertise of an experienced person in the gaming world. As a gamer with an entrepreneurial mindset, you can start off this idea by simply opening up a training center for these rookies and create a space for them to have all that it takes for them to excel in online gaming. What’s more, you can even do it from the comfort of your home office, provided you have a computer, a reliable website, and internet connectivity.
2. Rent out Your Gaming Gadgets
Every day, the number of online gamers is increasing. The harsh truth is that not everyone can afford the time or the money to buy their own gaming equipment that can support all online games. Furthermore, some games have a specific compatibility set of requirements, meaning they can only be played on certain gadgets or equipment. With this knowledge, you can take advantage of the supply and demand curve and venture in renting out your gaming equipment to this apparently large consumer base. Yes, there are game stations almost everywhere nowadays. Talk about schools, parks, malls, and highways; but even these do not seem to meet the demands of each individual gamer or potential user.
For instance, gamers often find gaming Stations crowded. In some, if not most of these stations the seating space is insufficient, especially during peak days or hours. You can even seek to solve some of these common problems experienced in gaming stations and you’ll have a profitable business venture to think about.
3. Open an Online Gaming Center
This can also be a highly profitable business idea for gamers. You just need to create an environment where gamers can meet virtually through an online game. By opening an online gaming center, you are providing gamers a chance, especially the new ones, an opportunity to play their favorite games in advance rather than having to wait for the latest releases of XBOX and other gadgets. Through the internet, you can particularly have a platform where people don’t need to be physically present to compete with their opponents in a game. From the comfort of their homes, they can sit and play against any opponent of their choosing across the world.
In order to keep the adrenaline of your gamers flowing, however, you’ll also want to equip your gaming center with sufficient resources for a better gaming experience. If possible, for instance, it pays to provide an option for an audio chat so that players can easily communicate with one another instead of getting a hard time reading texts on the screen. A gaming center is a good way of having different communities of gamers to easily interact with one another. Borrow a leaf from social sites such as IG, Facebook, and Twitter, interaction is key to any successful venture.
4. Produce Online Video Games
Especially in the younger generation, online gaming has already become a part of our lives in today’s society. And needless to mention, more and more online games and gaming devices are becoming available in the market, often with a wide range of modes, genres, and choices. As a matter of fact, gamers are often spoilt for choice. But just like music, films, and anything else in the fashion and entertainment industries, people will always look for new things. This makes video game development a hot cake of a profitable business that you can unimaginably profit from if you’re creative and innovative enough. You can even become a game developer and sell your work to some of the biggest companies in the gaming industry.
5. Start a YouTube Channel on Online Gaming
For many, YouTube is a favorite spot that they refer to for all entertainment, inspirational, and informative content, just to name a few. Surprisingly, it’s another great opportunity for experienced video gamers looking for business ideas. You can earn money through your YouTube channel by posting entertaining, inspirational, and informative online video gaming content. If your channel has many subscribers and your posts get many likes, you can earn royalties from the YouTube advertising service.
This is similar to how motivational speakers, posters, and celebrities make money on YouTube and other video content platforms such as Vimeo. Nonetheless, your videos have to really be attractive and high-quality to attract the minimum number of likes required by the Google sibling to consider you for royalties. YouTube royalties are paid in commissions and are based on the number of clicks and views the ads appended to your videos receive.
6. Start a Standard Betting System
Talk about cards, poker, blackjack, roulette, horse races, and stuff; people love gambling. Thanks to the internet, gambling enthusiasts no longer need to visit physical casinos to have fun and make money whenever they’re feeling lucky. People bet on live sports, such as football, soccer, boxing, and so much more. As a matter of fact, people place their bets on video gamer too. At its core, betting may have too many definitions lie in a single sentence. However, one thing for sure; it’s one of the reasons why the gaming industry has turned into a serious mainstream business nowadays. It comes with many benefits and risks alike, which levels the field for both gamers and entrepreneurs.
A standard betting system creates an environment for online gamers to bet against one another with a common goal of winning. As you make it through to the next level, you are not only intensifying the competition, but you will leave each game becoming richer and richer. You may also want to host one since people really have a sweet spot for gaming systems that will provide them quick access to cash. However, since the game is subject to the policies and standards set by the government, it is really important to make all necessary arrangements right before you start off its operation process.
7. Create a Forum for Gamers
In this internet-dominated world, every business basically needs a website where it can interact with its existing customers and target markets. Before it slips my mind, you will agree that discussion forums have for long been popular on the internet. People like asking questions and getting the views of other like-minded individuals online when stuck in certain situations. There are others that use these forums as avenues to display their prowess, market their skills, and build a reputation. Regardless of the kind of business you’re in, you can barely go wrong with discussion forums. And as an experienced gamer, it pays to consider using this to your advantage. And if you guessed right, gamers are always looking for resources that will guide them into becoming better players.
If you can invest your time and effort right you can make an online gamer discussion forum that is appealing to gaming enthusiasts around the globe. Through your platform, players can meet in a common environment and share their opinions regarding a particular topic. It would then be easy for rookie players and aspirants to access information once they are involved in the forum. Also, this can attract sponsors and other gaming companies to invest in your site. Just make sure that the website is equipped with the necessary elements to make it visible or better, appear on the front page of the search interface. After all, your profit depends on the traffic generated by the website that you have created.
8. Start a Gaming Blog
Especially if you want to start off a business in gaming with a little to no capital, you can start blogging on topics related to online games. There are many passionate bloggers who’ve started blogging business from rags, only to surprisingly make millions of dollars annually. So, if you’re a professional and expert gamer, enough to share your knowledge regarding the online gaming industry, blogging might as well be the missing piece of the successful business puzzle for you. You can blog about interesting, informative, and up-to-date topics on online games, including things such as the recent results on e-sports events, the latest gaming equipment, the best games in 2018, and so on and so forth.
Posting high-quality, useful content on your blog will generate loads of traffic to your site, which is what you’ll need to make money. With a high amount of traffic flowing into your blog, you can secure advertising deals from different online game production, betting, and other companies. Just keep in mind that your site needs to be updated regularly so that it will continue to attract more customers and advertisers.
9. Open an Online Casino
And if you’re really determined to reap the most out of the business opportunities in the online gaming industry, opening an online casino can be a non-regrettable way to go. Well, this particular may involve lots of time, passion and investment to make it a cash cow. However, you can always borrow ideas from the predecessors before you. You could also provide download links for some of the most popular games such as scr888, an online casino roulette game that also has downloadable mobile-compatible slot versions that anyone can play on Android or iOS.
The Parting Shot
In sum, there’s a myriad of ways you can make money out of your gaming knowledge, skill, expertise or experience other than having to place a bet or gamble. You can train gamers, blog about gaming, create videos, open a gaming center, create a gaming forum, open your own online casino, start a betting site or rent out gaming equipment. What’s even more interesting is that the world of gaming is still revolutionizing with the tick of the clock. Nonetheless, utilizing one or several of the above tips should be able to make you some real money out of online gaming.