The coronavirus lockdown has been tough on everyone. Many of us are having to reassess how we complete work assignments and how we use our downtime. As a gamer, you’re relatively lucky; your hobby is mostly unaffected by the coronavirus (although there have been plenty of delays and cancellations as a result of the virus). If you’re a gamer, you might be wondering how you can make a little cash during the lockdown, especially if you’ve been furloughed and need some money. Here are 10 ways you can make money during lockdown as a gamer.
- Become a streamer
Now is the perfect time to take a look at becoming a Twitch or Mixer streamer. If you’ve got a reasonably powerful gaming PC and are particularly skilled at a game – or you just like talking about a certain title – then streaming could be for you. All you need to do is set up a mic (and a webcam, if you want people to see your face) and use a free program like OBS to record your gameplay. From then on, it’s all about marketing, brand identity, and advertising.
- Try online casino gaming
It might surprise you to learn that gamers make excellent online casino gamblers, but it’s the truth. The combination of persistence, hand-eye coordination, and tech-savvy that gamers garner makes them the perfect candidate for online casino gaming. Thanks to the coronavirus, this is another industry that’s booming. Find yourself a new casino for 2020 on CasinoHEX.se and you’ll be glad you did; this can be a great way to make money if you know what you’re doing.
- Play online games for points
Familiar with sites like Swagbucks? These websites offer you the chance to fill out surveys and questionnaires for the chance to win prizes like cash or gift cards. Sometimes, Swagbucks will also allow you to play online games in exchange for cash. These can be games like Bejeweled or they can be casino-style games like Deal or No Deal or slot machines. Whatever they are, you’re effectively being paid to game, and that’s not to be sniffed at, right?
- Become an esports pro
Esports is absolutely booming since the advent of the coronavirus. In many ways, this makes a lot of sense. After all, the esports industry is one of the only sporting industries that can effectively continue unaltered during the pandemic, although its players will need to play remotely. Now is an excellent time to look into esports if you haven’t already. Got some serious skills in a game but never had the chance to brush up? Get to practicing and thinking about entering the esports game.
- Playtest games
Despite production halting on a lot of gaming endeavours, there are still companies out there – predominantly indie developers – looking for people to playtest their games during the coronavirus. If you don’t mind repetitive tasks, playtesting can be a very solid career in itself, or it can be a springboard into different areas within the gaming industry. Just be warned that playtesting isn’t as glamorous as you may think, but it is certainly an essential part of the development process.
- Try games writing
Getting into games writing in a paid capacity is extremely difficult, but don’t let that deter you if this has been a dream for you. Just like esports itself, games journalism isn’t necessarily one of the worst-affected industries during the coronavirus crisis, so many sites and other platforms could be looking for writers. Now is the time to start making pitches if you’re a freelancer or to look for remote long-term positions if you want something more permanent. You never know who could be hiring!
- Develop a game yourself
It’s certainly not easy to develop a game yourself. Doing so requires a huge time investment and a lot of patience, but hey – during the coronavirus crisis, time is something we all have in abundance, so if you’ve got that killer idea for a game, now would certainly be the time to start working on it! Game development isn’t for everyone, but with the solo development process easier than ever, now is definitely the time to work on your game if you’ve been cooking the idea for a while.
- Become a YouTuber
Becoming a gaming YouTuber isn’t quite the same thing as becoming a Twitch or Mixer streamer. While streamers tend to simply stream content without any editing, YouTubers frequently spend more time putting together videos, editing them, and releasing them according to a stricter schedule. If you feel like you want to show off your unique gaming personality but you’d rather be more in control of your output, then the YouTube life could be a better alternative for you than streaming.
- Try your hand at gaming coaching
This last one is a little more niche, but if you’ve got gaming skills to impart, you could think about becoming a gaming coach. You’d be training esports teams in the art of playing the game in which they wish to compete, so if you’ve got those League of Legends or Counter-Strike chops, then this could be a good way to show them off without actually competing yourself. Coaching isn’t for everyone; it requires patience, a didactic approach, and a consummate level of skill. It can pay dividends if you’re good, though.
