From your neighbor’s overly competitive kids to your favorite Twitch streamers, gaming is much more than a hobby for some. Many people consider it a passion, and a section of these have managed to turn their passion into a career, making big money through sponsorships and donations while also becoming the face of a growing industry. If you’ve always wanted to work in gaming, whether as a personality or a developer, here are four ways you can level up and turn your gaming hobby into a career.
Get Good
While some people may be able to make a career out of playing video games badly, it’s a niche that is difficult to crack. If you want to get into gaming as a full-time career (at least eventually), becoming a better gamer is one of the best ways to do this. However, this in itself is tricky. Some people are born with a natural ability to game. The pad feels right in their hands, whereas others struggle with hand-eye coordination. If you’re already a competent gamer, though, you may find it a little easier to get good, but you will have plenty of competition.
Take Control
Anyone who feels passionately about providing a safe and enjoyable space for gamers can look at how a cheap VPS will let them host their friends and strangers. While it can be difficult to make money from running a server at fir4st, especially as you’ll need to pay for the space, showing competence in being in charge of this server, welcoming more pliers, and keeping conflicts or hacking to a minimum can give you the experience you need to handle larger, more professional servers in the future.
Learn to Program
If you have an idea for a game but no way to get it out into the world, the only option is to build it yourself. Many gaming fans already spend some time programming, and if this is you, there is something to build upon. However, others may never have considered programming before, but there are plenty of online resources to teach you the basics and find out whether it is for you.
Get Your Face Out There
From gaming reviews to cosplay conventions and beyond, there are plenty of ways to establish yourself as a personality within the gaming industry and make money from it at some point. This will not happen if you hide away in your bedroom. You need to put yourself out there, engage with other cosplayers or reviews, and make sure people recognize your name and your face. Find a niche and focus on that, and you’ll have a much better chance of making your hobby a career.
Leveling Up
Whether you’re stuck in a dead-end job and want a change or have been presented with an opportunity to follow your passion, getting into the gaming industry could be a superb step forward. Even if you’re not fond of having a camera thrust in your face, you can still do your part behind the scenes and maybe have a hand in creating the next big thing.
