5 Ways To Make A Sustainable Career Out Of Gaming

We’ve all heard it before - eSports is a growing industry; The International 2018 had a prize pool totalling $25 million USD, PewDiePie’s net worth is estimated to be $20 million USD, and even Singtel is making some headway in local eSports.

It seems like there’s a ton of money sloshing around eSports these days, but is this something that the average Joe can benefit from? Here are 5 ways for you to cash in and ride the eSports wave.

Gameplay Streaming

Twitch.tv makes it possible for anyone with a decent computer to stream their gameplay live to a global audience. If you’re disciplined, stream regularly, and have something unique about your stream (good gameplay, funny commentary, a quirky online personality), you’ve got a real chance at monetizing your game time.

The Twitch Affiliate Program allows qualified Twitch streamers to unlock multiple monetization options, such as receiving revenue from subscriptions, sale of games and in-game items, and more. Do this successfully enough, you can get to Twitch Partner program, which unlocks additional monetization options and upgrades to your stream.

A good place to start is to join a team of local Singaporean streamers on Twitch and get on their official Discord channel!

Content Creation

YouTube and increasingly, Facebook are avenues where you can share content with a wider audience, but as a young creator just starting out, you probably won’t see the direct ad revenue from YouTube just yet.

Don’t let that stop you! Be creative - join an affiliate program (such as Lazada’s, Amazon’s or other affiliate marketplaces like Clickbank) to earn commissions on purchases made through your customized links.

Alternatively, create sponsored videos or sell advertising spots to simultaneously add value to and collect revenue from gaming brands that are willing to spend on advertising their products and services on your channel. As long as you’ve traffic and influence, the sky’s the limit.

Join a local team (Competing)

Local eSports is not only taking off in pure interest, but concrete steps have been taken to improve career sustainability for local gamers. Singtel very recently went further into local eSports with initiatives that involve local Teams - Team Faceless, Team Resurgence and Team Asterisk. Aside, the Singapore Sports Hub and Team Flash unveiled a new training facility for Team Flash’s athletes, and in 2018, Hyperplay had its inaugural eSports and music festival hosted in Singapore.

With the improved infrastructure that will likely come with investment in the local scene, it’s not a bad time to apply to see what opportunities these local eSports teams have for you!

Casting and commentating

If you really enjoy game analysis, passing comments during game matches and generally like to watch others play games, consider joining a team of professional game casters, or start your own casting channel.

A good stepping stone into the world of casting is SIN Esports (formerly the Singapore Esports League). The organization hosts leagues, and hires a team of full-time casters to support their weekly streams, even going so far as to host casting seminars to train their casters. DM them to connect!

Coaching

If you have all the skills and know-how, but prefer to stay out of the spotlight instead, consider applying to be a coach with SCOGA, or even at one of the local eSports teams. Last we heard, private coaching is also a thing.

Can’t earn money from gaming? Hold my beer!

Like any other career, achieving success in gaming takes dedication, time, discipline and a good deal of aptitude and know-how. Be smart, use a combination of the above to maximize your returns and we’ll see you on the big screen.

For the latest updates on Wonderwall.sg, be sure to follow us on TikTok, Telegram, Instagram, and Facebook. If you have a story idea for us, email us at [email protected].