If you are already spending a big part of your free time playing video games, it could make sense for you to turn that thing you love—gaming—into a money-making hobby (or even a part-time job).
You can monetize your passion for online games in quite a few ways, and the key is being realistic about your expectations for how much money you’re likely to earn in the industry.
Making millions of dollars as a gamer is like making millions of dollars as a drummer, hockey player, or a painter; not many people reach that skill level.
Still, the gaming world is growing fast and exploring some ways teens can make money there can be really fun. It might even lead them to discover a talent they didn’t know they had!
Here are some of your options for making money by playing the video games you love.
Key takeaways
While competitive eSports (or electronic sports) offer gamers a chance to make millions, there are other (more accessible) ways for teens to make money in gaming.
Platforms like Twitch and YouTube offer the ability to livestream (or broadcast) their gaming experiences, or to create content that appeals to the gaming community, and earn money for it.
Other ways teens can earn money from gaming include writing reviews, game-testing, or building their own games through Roblox or Steam.
Young developers can gain experience in the gaming industry that is likely to be valuable in the future—both within the world of video games and beyond.
How much money can teens earn playing video games?
Playing video games competitively isn’t the only way to make money.
YouTube remains a popular place for gamers to make money. The site pays about $5—and up to $5,000—for every 1,000 views a video gets, but like with other social media platforms, certain standards have to be met before YouTubers can earn money. Once a channel has 1,000 subscribers, and the content has earned 4,000 hours of watch time, the owner of the channel can turn on AdSense (the advertising platform run by Google) and begin making money for views.
Twitch is another popular platform where gamers are earning money. Canadian Imane Anys, known on Twitch as Pokimane, began streaming when she was 17 years old. She’s now the most-followed female streamer on Twitch, and in 2021 her Twitch earnings totalled $1.5 million over the course of two years.
The platform offers a range of ways to make money—through ads, subscriptions, brand sponsorships, and more. On average, a streamer with five to 10 viewers per stream would earn $50 to $200 per month, while someone with 10,000 viewers per stream could reach an estimated $30,000 per month.
Platforms like Twitch and YouTube have policies to protect kids, like all users, from harassment and/or exploitation. In order to make money on these platforms, kids under 18 will need their parent or guardian’s consent and supervision. Twitch, specifically, only allows kids over the age of 13 years to stream.
7 ways to make money playing video games as a kid or teen
Livestream
Live Streaming or broadcasting is something gamers can do on Twitch or YouTube, or even indirectly on TikTok. This kind of content falls under the category of “Let’s Play,” and viewers tune in to see gamers perform difficult feats or pass seemingly impossible obstacles within the game, all while providing witty, informative, or interesting commentary. It’s a forum designed for multi-taskers who can focus on entertaining their audience while playing.
How live streamers get paid typically depends on the number of fans they have tuning in to each broadcast. They can earn money through ads, but it requires a lot of viewers per stream. If they’re just starting and only have a small following, they can offer subscriptions and accept donations (called “tips” on Twitch) from viewers who like their content and want to see more.
If a streaming gamer does really well, there are also the possibilities of sponsorships and ad partnerships. These are where some of the top streamers make the bulk of their income.
Write reviews of video games
Do you have a talent for both the written word and the controller? You might want to explore your options for writing video game reviews and news. (At the very least, this might lead to game-makers sending them free copies of their latest projects.) When you first start down this path, you’re likely to find that you’re writing reviews for free, or for the opportunity to have your writing published. Don’t automatically turn down this chance! Those published pieces will make up your writing portfolio—they’re what you can send to publications who do pay as proof that you have writing talent and a critical eye for video games and the gaming industry.
Once you young gamer is ready to go after some paid reviewing gigs, you can expect to earn around $30 per hour (keeping in mind that you might only write one or two hours a week when you first start out). You can look for freelance openings at gaming websites and send in their portfolio and your pitch (the game you want to write about, why you’d like to focus on that particular game, and why you’re the right person to cover the topic or game).
Become a game-tester
On-demand testing service platforms like Beta Family and PlaytestCloud make it easy for gamers to sign up to become game-testers. To be a tester, you need to be 16 or 18 years old (depending on the platform), but PlaytestCloud allows parents to sign up on behalf of their kids. Kids can then test games under parental supervision.
Once they’re signed up, their job will be to play the game in a way that challenges its limitations, looking for bugs or glitches and reporting them to the programmers and designers. They might record their reports while playing, or they may have to write reports and submit them. Game-testing is a job that pays approximately the same amount your kid would make working a minimum-wage job, but if they love video games, it could be the beginning of a career in the industry.
Start a YouTube channel
Thanks to YouTube, anyone can launch their own channel dedicated to whatever topic they love. The platform is super-popular among gamers and while it’s a competitive place to find a niche and gain followers, YouTube offers a lot of creative freedom and more than one way to earn money from a personal channel.
If you are just starting out, you can pick a specific topic you’re really interested in or know a lot about. For example, if you’re a pro at Pokémon Legends or Overwatch 2, you could make tutorial videos sharing their expert tips specific to those games. If you’re the kind of gamer who plays everything t you can get your hands on, you might want to record reviews or reaction videos of your first time playing a new game.
Become a professional video game player
Esports is growing in popularity so quickly that it’s even on the radar of the International Olympic Committee and could one day become an official Olympic sport. Esports is basically gaming at a professional level. The world’s best gamers compete against one another at events like L.A.’s E3 Expo, usually for substantial cash prizes. When it comes to gaming, this is where the most money can be made.
Make and sell your own video games
Platforms like Roblox have made it easy for kids to build their own games or in-game items and earn money from them by selling them through a built-in marketplace, though age restrictions do apply. Roblox allows creators 13 years of age and older to make and sell video games or items—such as virtual Gucci bags—and earn Robux (that’s what Roblox currency is called) from other players. Robux can then be exchanged for currency through the platform’s Developer Exchange Program (DevEx). Steam is another platform where young developers can build and share games.
Play play-to-earn games
With the precarious state of cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) , games like Axie Infinity, Splinterlands, or Star Atlas (so-called “play-to-earn” or “P2E” games) are probably not the best way to earn money in gaming. Major gaming platforms like Steam and Minecraft have banned blockchain tech from being incorporated into their games. While it isn’t necessarily bad to play these games, parents should monitor in-game purchases, and teens (who must be 18 to cash out their earnings) shouldn’t expect to earn a secure or reliable income here.
