Earn a Living Playing Video Games?
Getting paid to play video games is the dream of many young gamers. While it may seem like an impossible dream, there are many people out there making some money – or even a living – off playing video games.
Getting paid to play video games is the dream of many young gamers. While it may seem like an impossible dream, there are many people out there making some money – or even a living – off playing video games. The ways people make money playing video games are fascinating, even if you have no desire to do so yourself. From eSport athletes making six figures a year by winning tournaments in front of crowds to game testers making near minimum wage with little appreciation, the field of making money playing video games is a wide, diverse one.
In my teen years, I strongly considered pursuing a career as a games tester. However, after reading a great many anecdotal stories and opinions from testers actively working in the industry, I have come to the sad conclusion that it really wouldn’t be as fun as it sounds.
Interestingly, most of the people I’ve talked to about getting paid for playing video games have had really mixed responses. Some thought it was the best thing since sliced bread, and others found it had just completely wrecked their enjoyment of the games themselves.
I think that’s because when most of us think of “getting paid to play video games,” we’re thinking of actually being employed by a gaming company. The only problem with that is if we’re not making the game itself, we’re essentially just needed for bug-testing. An article I read some time ago talked about a game tester’s enjoyment of Mario Kart being wrecked because all he was told to do was crash into walls looking for pathing glitches. You can imagine how entertaining that made the game for him.
However, there’s a new pay-to-game industry emerging: streaming/youtubing. A lot of gamers have found fans and money in becoming “television personalities” of a sort on the internet; their revenue is then received from ads on the streaming/tube sites, not their employers. I guess you could say it’s the difference between a video game “desk job” and a video game job involving working from home-the gamers who can choose their time and their way to play (even if they don’t get paid that much initially) sure enjoy it a lot more.
Having said all this, testing can still be a fun and rewarding experience with the right company. I personally wouldn’t consider doing it as a full-time job, though. I enjoy games way too much; why would I want to ruin that for myself?
