Earn Money by Playing Games

The UK gaming industry is experiencing a boom thanks to COVID-19 restrictions. This is because the restrictions forced people to stay at home and forego other entertainment avenues such as football.

In 2020, the UK gaming industry was worth £5.3 billion, up from £4.8 billion in 2019. Experts project that the UK gaming industry will increase to an estimated £7 billion by 2024.

Did you know that you make money playing video games? Yes, you can earn a living playing video games such as Fortnite, Call of Duty and your other favourite games. Millions of people in the UK are earning money through the gaming industry. You too can get a slice of that pie.

In this guide, we’ve put together ways to make money playing video games in the UK.

Inbox Pounds

Inbox Pounds is a cash-based rewards platform. It pays members for participating in playing games, paid surveys, and reading emails. Available only for people from the UK, Inbox Pounds offers over 30 cash games ranging from bingo, digital scratch cards, racing and slots.

To start making money, visit the Inbox Pounds website, sign up and start doing online activities such as playing games. Inbox Pounds will reward you with PayPal cash. The minimum pay-out is £20. They also have a referral program where they pay members 20% as commission. If your 10 friends earn £10 each day, you’ll receive £20.

Swagbucks

Swagbucks is one of the oldest and most popular reward sites in the world. It pays members to complete different activities. For example, playing games, completing surveys, searching the web and more. When you play games, Swagbucks rewards you with Swagbucks points or SB points.

For example, if you play Solitaire TriPeaks, Super Plinko, Wheel of Fortune or Angry Birds Champions, you earn 4 SB per $1. You can redeem the SB points for PayPal cash and gift cards from Amazon, Google, Walmart and more.

To put cashback in your wallet, head to the Swagbucks website, sign up and start playing games. It’s free to join.

Mistplay

Love playing mobile games such as Words with Friends, Grand Harvest, Konami Slots, Tropicats and more? Discover these games and more on Mistplay and earn rewards playing them. As the ultimate loyalty platform for Android gamers, Mistplay has a library with more than 65,000 games.

To get started, get the Mistplay app, sign up, find a game you like and start playing. The longer you play, the more rewards you earn. For every 1,500 points you make, you get $5. You can also earn more money through the Mistplay referral program. They offer 50 points for every referral.

KashKick

Get paid for playing games on KashKick. KashKick pays directly to your PayPal once you reach the minimum payout of $5. It’s easy to make money with KashKick. Head to the KashKick website, sign up, find a game and complete your mission. You can play as many games as you want. There is no limit.

As you complete your missions, your earnings grow. Besides playing games, complete other activities such as finding deals, surveys and more.

Second Life

Second Life is an online virtual world that’s part commerce, part game and part chat room. In the virtual world, there are more than 800 million square meters of virtual areas to explore and 11 million+ residents. To join Second Life, you must download software that gives you access to your avatar.

With your avatar, you can explore the Second Life world, interact and chat with Second Life residents. There are mini-games with Second Life that enable you to earn a little money while having fun.

Examples of mini-games include Meetro and Linden Realms. Members earn Linden dollars or L$. While you may not make thousands of dollars playing games on Second Life, you can exchange the L$ into real currency.

Second Life offers Premium Membership where you receive a weekly stipend of L$300. You also receive a$1,000 sign up bonus plus other gifts. Second Life pays through Skrill and PayPal.

Gamer Saloon

Gamer Saloon is the #1 reward site for video game tournaments. Founded in 2006, Gamer Saloon offers real tournaments in popular games such as WWE 2k20, Mortal Kombat 11, Fortnite, Call of Duty: Black Op and more. There is an entry fee for each tournament. For example, the entry fee for Fortnite is $11, and the prize is $20.

To join the tournaments, visit the Gamer Saloon website and sign up for free. Set your profile and fund your account. You’ll receive up to a 200% deposit bonus on your initial deposit. Your deposit will act as an entrance fee for matches and tournaments.

Find a tournament or 1v1 match and start playing. If you win the match or tournament, Gamer Saloon will reward you with the prize money. To join the tournaments, download the Gamer Saloon app. From the app, you can set up challenges and get instant alerts when tournaments get updated. Gamer Saloon pays through PayPal.

More Ways to Earn Money Through Gaming…

Compete In E-Sports

If you’re into competitive video games, compete in e-sports. E-sports is a multimillion-dollar industry and a form of competition with prize pools. Basically, players compete in teams as amateurs or professionals. The competitions are usually streamed and watched live by millions of fans worldwide.

Some of the popular competitive games in e-sports are FIFA, Madden, NBA2K, CounterStrike, Call of Duty, League of Legends and more. As of 2020, the highest-earning e-sport gamer earned over $6 million.

To compete at a professional level, focus on a single game. Learn the tactics, mechanics and player abilities in your game. Also, practice the game and have an expert role in the game.

Start a Gaming YouTube Channel or Podcast

Globally, YouTube has over 2.3 billion active users while in the UK, 35% of the population are active users on YouTube.

Starting a gaming YouTube channel or podcast is an excellent way to make money online. Why you may ask. It’s inexpensive, and you can do it from the comfort of your home. All you need to do is find inspiration, create compelling content, grow your audience and make money.

You can use your smartphone to shoot play through gaming videos or videos on tips and pointers for other games. Edit the videos using free online tools and start promoting your channel. The more viewers you’ve, the more money you make.

Start a Twitch Gaming Channel

Twitch is a video live streaming service for gamers. It lets gamers worldwide watch e-sports competitions, music broadcast and more. As a subsidiary of Amazon, Twitch has over 6.9 million unique streamers and 29.5 million visitors daily.

On Twitch, streamers can make an average of $3,000 to $5,000 each month, playing around 40 hours a week. To make money on Twitch, keep producing content. Find your niche, whether it’s a genre or game, set a regular streaming schedule and promote your Twitch broadcasts on social media.

Once you attract viewers, interact with them by asking questions, cracking jokes and responding to chats. When you’ve 500 regular views per video, you can join the Twitch Partner program. As a member, Twitch will pay you $2.50 for each subscriber. There are more ways to make money on Twitch.

Read: How to Make Money on Twitch.

Find Sponsors

As a professional gamer, you can make money through sponsorships. Depending on your popularity, you can secure lucrative deals like professional athletes such as Tiger Woods. As a brand ambassador, the company will require you to wear their gear during tournaments.

There are over 100 brands that sponsor streamers. For example, CyberPowerPC, Amazon, Corsair and more. Besides wearing sponsored gear, you must promote the brand’s gear to your social media followers. Remember, you can land sponsorship deals as a Twitch streamer or YouTuber.

Read: How To Get Sponsored on Twitch Without A Massive Viewer Count.

Participate In Online Card Tournaments

You can participate in online poker cash games and make money. To get started, search for online blackjack tournaments or online poker tournaments. Alternatively, you can visit Casino.org for a list of genuine online casinos you can visit and play online card tournaments.

Before joining an online gambling site, research. Read online reviews and check if the site is registered and regulated by a gaming authority. Also, ensure using the online gambling site is legal in the UK.

Gaming Careers…

Start a Gaming Blog

You can start a gaming blog where you review games, and if you build a large audience, you will receive or have access to lots of things. For example, gaming companies will offer exclusive access to early game releases or invite you to gaming conferences. To succeed, choose a smaller niche you’ve expert knowledge in and dive into the subject.

Video Game Developer

If you prefer coding over gameplay, start a career as a game developer. Video game companies such as Ubisoft and Blizzard hire game developers at an average starting salary of $80,000+. Udemy offers game development courses where you can learn 2D and 3D game development.

Game Tester

Several video game development companies such as Blizzard hire gamers for testing positions. As a game tester, you’re required to play the game thousands of times to uncover bugs and other issues. While it sounds fun, testing games is a lot of hard work, but the pay is good. The average pay package for a gamer tester is $67,000+ per year.

Technical Support

Besides testing games, video game companies require a reliable support network. As a customer support representative, you’ll assist gamers by answering questions. Most reps earn between $13 to $20 per hour.

Video Game Journalist

Do you have a talent for reporting and writing? If you do, you can make it as a video game journalist. Most video game journalists earn between $25,000 to $30,000 per year. To start as a video game journalist, you need a journalism degree and a few years of experience.

Final Thoughts…

Today, there are a lot of ways to make money as a gamer. You can start a YouTube or Twitch channel where you share play through gaming videos and other content. Other career options in the gaming industry include game tester, game developer, blogger or journalist. To make more money, try your hand in two or more careers, for example, blogger, YouTuber, Twitch streamer, game developer or tester.