In this article, we discuss different business ideas related to video games that players may want to consider if they desire to work in a video game-related business.
Can You Make a Living with Games?
If you are passionate about playing video games you may have occasionally dreamed of making a living doing something related to what you love. While competing in esports tournaments is one way to generate a video game related income there are plenty of other opportunities available if you have the initiative and the drive. Here are 11 of the best ideas for starting a business related to video games.
- Video Game Coaching: There are plenty of people willing to pay somebody to coach them on how to improve their ranking in various video games. Games like League of Legends and World of Warcraft have avid fans who regularly hire services like AskBoosters to coach and assist them to become better players. Anybody who has spent several hours a day on average playing their favorite game online will likely have the necessary skills to coach newer players. If you have a particular expertise in a popular game you can start an online video game coaching business with relatively little capital.
- Gaming Blog/Website: A blog or website related to video games is another business that you can start without a huge amount of capital. You could review new games, report on different esports and the teams and players involved in them, provide gaming tips or write about anything else of interest to video game players. A blog can earn money through advertising, selling related products, or even through subscriptions. Just be aware you will need a well-designed website and must be willing to put a lot of work into it. New content needs to be added regularly and success in most cases does not occur overnight. It may take a year or longer to build up a good following.
- Sell Video Games: Although many video games are now direct download there is still a market for physical video games. Many gamers are nostalgic for some of their old favorites that aren’t available by direct download. There is a market for some older classic games. Buying and selling video games can still provide an income. It can be done online through your own website or by marketing them on a site like eBay or Amazon.
- Rent Video Games: Some video games are fairly expensive and many players would like to try different games out before paying full retail price. This could be done from a storefront or online. As with any business, it will take some work and you will have to have a system in place to ensure somebody doesn’t just disappear with your video game
- Sell Video Game Accessories: There is a good market for video game accessories. Avid gamers are quite willing to spend good money to put together all the essentials for a good gaming room. Selling gaming keyboards, gaming mice and mouse pads, gaming chairs and desks, headphones, and any other items a gamer may need can be a lucrative business.
- Gaming Tutorials: Video tutorials that instruct viewers on different aspects of a particular video game can be a good way to earn. If your tutorials are popular and you develop a good following platforms like YouTube will pay to place ads with your videos. You will need to create new videos on a regular basis that provide the type of instruction gamers are interested in. It will also require the ability to explain what you are doing in a way viewers can easily understand.
- Video Game Café: There is still a demand for video game cafes in certain areas. Many of the newest video games require some serious hardware to run and require a stable and fast internet connection to play. A good number of gamers would like to play some of these games but don’t have a machine capable of running them or a good enough internet connection. A video game café where they can come to play the latest games and socialize with other gamers could do quite well. Some research would be required to determine if there is enough demand in your particular area. It will also require more capital than those businesses you can do online as you will need to rent a location.
- Rent Gaming Hardware: This works as a business for much the same reason a video game café works. Gaming computers can be expensive and some people would prefer to rent the hardware rather than buy it. This will require more capital than many of the other video game businesses discussed.
- Skins Trading Site: There is still a demand for the cosmetic skins that games like CS: GO offer and there are people willing to pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars to get the skin they want. A skin trading site where gamers can buy and sell their skins can do quite well. You won’t just have to know video games; you will also need to be knowledgeable of the skins market and stay up to date on current prices.
- Mobile Game Development: Developing a successful game app can be a lucrative business if you have the necessary skills. Even if you don’t have the ability to code your own app if you have the right idea and the budget to hire programmers you can still create your own mobile game. You don’t even necessarily have to start from scratch as there are older games that can be redesigned. Success is by no means guaranteed but if you manage to develop the right game your future is assured.
- VR Gaming Center: Virtual Reality games are becoming more popular as the technology improves but the cost can be prohibitive for many who would like to play. A gaming center that focuses exclusively on VR games can do quite well in the right area. It will require some significant capital to get started so is definitely not for everybody.
Some of the business ideas here can be implemented on a shoestring budget while others will require a large amount of capital. They will all require plenty of hard work and perseverance to be successful but that is often the price for achieving your dreams.
