How To Earn Money Through Pro Gaming

Professional gaming is an area that is steadily growing in popularity. Back in the day, earning money off of playing video games was a fantasy for many. Even today many kids and adults have the ambition of one day earning enough money through video games that they can sustain their lifestyle. Although this is no easy task, it is definitely possible. There are many people who do this.

One example is Fortnite streamer, Ninja. Ninja gained an immense amount of popularity during the peak popularity of the game Fortnite. Being so prominent and using a multitude of different ways to earn money, Ninja became a multi-millionaire. Although this kind of thing does not happen to many, it definitely happens to some. therefore, we are going to dive into what pro gaming is, how much money you can ear and how to earn money!

 

What Is Pro Gaming?

Pro gaming is exactly what it sounds like, professional gaming. This is a niche where people earn money for playing video games at a competitive level. Every kid’s dream. Like I’ve said many times, the internet has become a staple in society. This means that there is a multitude of the way that someone can earn money through video games.

Of course, you’ll earn different amounts depending on the game and skill level. In the introductory paragraph, we used Ninja who, according to business insider, was once making $500,000 PER MONTH from all of his various income streams.

This is great and breaks many barriers for pro gamers. However, not many people will reach this amount of stardom. If you’re thinking about making money from gaming, you’re in luck. This article isn’t just to show you how much money professional gamers can make.

It is supposed to show you the varying amounts one can make and how vast the opportunities are. Therefore, if someone tells you that it’s a dumb idea to want to play video games for a living, you should consider whether or not they know what they’re talking about. However, let’s first dive into how much they can make.

 

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The $$$ They Can Make

At the lowest amount, $0. Just because making money from gaming is possible, it does not mean its easy. Many people who want to earn money from gaming make absolutely nothing for a long time. Regardless of the game you choose, earning money through gaming is a daunting task.

I can’t give you an overall average of how much people make from gaming as a whole. This is due to the fact that, as I said, you earn different amounts depending on the game and level of play. Therefore, we will take a look into three games that I either currently enjoy or have in the past. These three games are League of Legends, Super Smash Bros, and Fortnite.

 

League of Legends

League of Legends is one of those games that has an extremely strong following with well-funded teams. The average amount of money these guys earn is insane. To acquire the salary of the average North American League of Legends player, we will look to Forbes.

 

 

As you can see, they average out at over $320,000 a year which is absolutely insane! Not as insane as Ninja’s $500,000 a month but still a copious amount. It is important to note that the professional League of Legends players are 100% dedicated to the game. They literally eat, sleep and breathe that game and for good reason.

Find any profession where you will be making $320,000 a year. I guarantee that those people are spending night and day building their brand, skills or expanding their business. Therefore, if you’re good enough and are really dedicated, you can earn more than many doctors at a fraction of the cost in terms of school.

 

Super Smash Bros.

Super Smash Bros. is a little different from League of Legends. There aren’t any professional teams where people can spend their days training to become the best. However, one of the popular ways that they make money is through tournaments like Evo. Therefore, we will look at the top 10 highest-earning players.

 

 

These numbers are the sum from what they earned, not a monthly income. However, $342,008 is nothing to sneeze at. Most people don’t make that in a year and many won’t make that in 10 years.

If you had a full-time job and played Super Smash Bros. for some extra income, you could find yourself with a lot of extra money laying around. Of course, competitive Super Smash Bros. is a lot less competitive compared to League of Legends. However, with a lot of practice and determination, you could earn thousands of dollars by just beating people up with your favorite Nintendo character.

 

Fortnite

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know or heard of Fornite. From streamers showing up on ESPN to kids dancing around, Fortnite was everywhere. Although the hype has died down, there are still people out there making copious amounts of money through various methods. We will see how much the pro players make through tournaments from 2018-2019.

 

 

These earnings are from 518 tournaments have been hosted. These top 20 players have accumulated amounts that most people dream of. A the top of this list is a person named Bugha. The kicker is that he’s only 16 years old and won his first major tournament, taking home over 3 million dollars. That is literally like hitting the lottery. That is proof that in the world of gaming, anyone can earn money at any age.

 

How Do They Earn Money?

In the section above, we touched on how much money you can potentially make. Furthermore, we visited one of the ways that professional gamers make money. However, considering the fact that tournaments aren’t always possible to attend or even do well in, gamers have looked to other avenues. Monetizing your love for gaming is possible in more ways than one. Therefore, if you can’t attend every tournament, you may want to look at these avenues.

 

Twitch

For gamers, Twitch is almost like the holy grail of garnering income while gaming. Twitch is a platform where gamers can stream them playing games in real-time. Then, they get paid based on a number of factors, 4 to be exact. These ways are ads, subscriptions, donations, and sponsorships.

When I first learned how much money gamers on twitch make, I was seriously considering committing to streaming. The ways they make money is fairly comprehensive. Therefore, I’ll post a video from a streamer where he breaks down how to make money from streaming and how much he makes.

 

 

YouTube

For a while (and possibly even now) gamers on YouTube were some of the highest earners. Similar to Twitch, there are a few ways that YouTubers can earn money. Ads, sponsors, merchandise. However, the beauty of YouTube is that it can work in conjunction with Twitch.

You can record your stream from twitch, edit it and post it onto YouTube. Therefore, those who don’t follow your stream are able to follow your gameplay on YouTube. It benefits them because they get to stay up to date with their favorites streamers. Furthermore, it benefits you because you’re essentially getting paid from YouTube and Twitch!

 

Sponsorships

Sponsorships can come in many forms. You can get paid to play a particular game and stream it, for example. Other sponsorships include you actually having to show up at a live event. Some sponsors can be as small as wearing/using their item in a video. In the video above, the twitch streamer explains how he makes money from sponsors on Twitch. However, you can also be sponsored on YouTube or at tournaments! The earnings potential is huge because companies are willing to pay quite a bit of money to get their product/brand noticed on a larger scale.

 

Tournaments

Tournaments are definitely the most popular option for many people. It’s a good way to earn extra money. However, it is the least consistent (unless you’re a professional League of Legends player). As depicted in the picture above, a 16-year-old won 3 million dollars in his first major Fortnite tournament.

I have personally been to a few Super Smash Bros. tournaments and let me tell you, those people are extremely skillful. Therefore, even though most people can just go to a tournament whenever they please, it only pays when you win.

 

Merchandise

Lastly is merchandise. This is something that every gaming YouTuber/Twitch streamer should have. It’s essential. Setting up an online store does not take long, especially with resources like Shopify. For example, many YouTubers have shirts that show their logo or common phrases. Merchandise will take your income to the next level and should be incorporated into one of your steps to success. Of course, you should gain a decent viewership before putting out merchandise. This is because people tend to buy things from people they trust and who’s content they thorough enjoy for a period of time.

 

Finally

Financial freedom can come in many forms. If one of the forms you decide to start with is gaming, I say that’s a great idea. Although it may be difficult for a while, it is definitely rewarding. Some of the top earners (and not so top earners) are making a healthy living for just playing video games and entertaining their viewers. Therefore, if you’re one of those people who’re on the fence about becoming a streamer, start as soon as possible. You won’t regret it.