This article is for anyone who loves gaming as a hobby. If you're a “hard-core” gamer, someone who dedicates more than 20 hours a week to console play and you want to share them with others you may be able to start a profitable side hustle or full time business.

For many of the side hustle ideas we’ve covered, you don’t need a degree or a formal education to get started.

As a gamer you have specific skills and knowledge related to the equipment and resources that enables you to excel when outwitting your opponents.  

How Gamers Earn Online

Gamers can earn passive income through various methods while playing video games. Here are some popular ways:

1. Streaming and Content Creation:
   - Twitch/YouTube Streaming: Gamers can stream their gameplay on platforms like Twitch or YouTube. Once they build a following, they can earn money through ad revenue, subscriptions, donations, and sponsorships.
   - YouTube Videos: Creating and uploading gameplay videos, tutorials, reviews, and other content can generate ad revenue and sponsorship deals over time.

2. Affiliate Marketing:
   - Promoting gaming products, peripherals, or in-game items through affiliate links can earn gamers a commission on each sale made through their links.

3. In-Game Assets and NFTs:
   - Selling In-Game Items: Many games allow players to earn or create valuable in-game items which can be sold for real money.
   - NFTs: Gamers can create, trade, and sell Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) related to games, such as unique in-game items, skins, or even entire game characters.

4. Game Testing and Feedback:
   - Participating in beta tests or providing feedback for game developers can sometimes offer rewards or payment, which may not be entirely passive but can lead to opportunities for passive income streams through early access to valuable in-game content.

5. Game Guides and eBooks:
   - Writing and selling game guides, tips, and strategies can generate ongoing sales and passive income. These can be sold on platforms like Amazon or directly through personal websites.

6. Sponsorships and Partnerships:
   - Once gamers have established a significant following, they can attract sponsorships from gaming companies, brands, or services that pay for advertising and partnerships.

7. Membership and Subscription Services:
   - Offering exclusive content, early access, or other perks through Patreon or other membership platforms can create a steady stream of income.

8. Monetizing Mods and Custom Content:
   - Creating and selling mods, custom skins, or other game modifications can generate passive income, especially if the content becomes popular.

9. Investing in Esports Teams:
   - Some gamers invest in or own esports teams. As these teams compete and win in tournaments, they can earn prize money and sponsorships that provide passive income.

10. Ad Revenue from Blogs or Websites:
    - Running a gaming blog or website with content like news, reviews, and guides can generate ad revenue through platforms like Google AdSense.

Gamers can combine multiple methods to diversify their income streams and increase their potential for earning passive income while doing what they love.

How to Record Call of Duty Gameplay with Bandicam

Record and capture your gameplay and upload it to YouTube and Vimeo from any device  like a webcam, IPTV, smartphone and PS/Xbox.

(COD, MW3, MW2, Modern Warfare, Black Ops)

To Record Call of Duty gameplay, with Bandicam recording software, please follow the steps below:

1. Choose the 'Game Recording' mode.
      It's better to use 'Game Recording' mode to get a high quality video file.
      Best game recorder - Directx mode
2. Start Call of Duty game to record.

Note: For a stable operation, Bandicam needs to be running before starting the Call of Duty game

3. While running a game in 'Game Recording' mode, you can see the green number on the screen.

You can control the FPS (Frames per second) under the 'FPS' tab of Bandicam. If you can't see the green number, visit No FPS on the recording target

Ready to record - green color
4. Press the 'F12' function key (or the 'Record' button in Bandicam) to start recording.
F12 key to start/stop the recording gameplay
5. During recording, the green number (FPS) will change to red.
Recording the target - red color
6. To stop recording, press the 'F12' function key (or the 'Record' button in Bandicam) again.
7. Go to 'Home -> Video' to play, edit or upload the captured videos.

Battlefield Game Recording for Advanced Users

• To enhance the recording ability of Bandicam, try the hardware-accelerated H.264 encoder.
• To edit the recorded video, use the "Vegas/Premiere/Pinnacle" preset.
• To minimize computer lag, reduce the Video Resolution/Size/FPS/Quality".
• To record / merge the webcam stream within the main video, try the webcam PiP feature.
• To use Mouse Click Effects, check the "Add mouse click / highlight effect" option.
  

Streaming on Twitch

Your Area of Focus

It's important to choose your area of focus (niche) when starting a gaming business. Keep in mind that Twitch is also home to a wide variety of content creators that streaming categories like music, cooking, teaching and especially gaming. 

• Streaming and Content Creation
  • Platforms: Twitch, YouTube, Facebook Gaming.
  • Revenue Streams: Ad revenue, subscriptions, donations, sponsorships, merchandise sales.
  • Focus: Building a personal brand, engaging with an audience, and consistently creating entertaining or educational content related to gaming.
• eSports and Competitive Gaming
  • Focus Areas: Playing professionally, organizing tournaments, coaching, or managing esports teams.
  • Revenue Streams: Prize money, sponsorships, team salaries, event ticket sales, merchandise.
  • Involvement: Either as a player, coach, team owner, or tournament organizer.
• Game Development and Design
  • Platforms: PC, consoles, mobile devices.
  • Focus: Creating your own video games or working on game design, programming, art, or sound design.
  • Revenue Streams: Game sales, in-game purchases, crowdfunding (e.g., Kickstarter), publishing deals.
• Gaming Journalism and Reviews
  • Focus: Writing articles, creating video reviews, and covering news related to video games.
  • Platforms: Blogs, YouTube channels, gaming websites, social media.
  • Revenue Streams: Ad revenue, sponsored content, affiliate marketing, Patreon support.
• Gaming Accessories and Merchandise
  • Products: Custom controllers, gaming chairs, apparel, collectibles.
  • Focus: Designing, manufacturing, and selling gaming-related products.
  • Revenue Streams: Direct sales through an online store, partnerships with game developers or streamers, licensing deals.

Each of these areas leverages different aspects of the gaming industry and offers unique opportunities to turn a hobby into a sustainable business.

Once you've established your area of focus (niche), it's time to build a brand for your channel. We've included some information on branding and templates you can use to kickstart your channel and get off to a great start.

What Does a Twitch Branding Set Include?

A Twitch set will include everything you need to establish the look and feel of your channel.

The number of Twitch templates in Placeit’s sets can vary, but these will typically contain the following items:

• Twitch Gaming Logo Templates
  
• Twitch Banner
• Twitch Offline Banner
• Stream Starting Soon Video Screen
• Twitch Panels
• Twitch Overlay

Your logo design and your Twitch channel assets will also influence further designs down the road. As your brand grows, you will likely increase your social media presence, create merch for your followers to purchase, and you may even need printed items like business cards.

When you get to this place, stick to your already established visual identity to keep things cohesive and strengthen your brand.

How to Play the Affiliate Game

To become an affiliate for some of the programs below, you will need a platform that you can use to promote products and services. 

Don't be discouraged if you have a small or limited number of followers, because there are some programs that will approve you when just getting started.

However if you're just starting out, one of your biggest priorities should be building an email list. Once you have a following and a way to send followers to an easy to use, positive buying experience, it will be a lot easier to be approved. 

At a minimum you want to convey to the affiliate advertisers the platforms and methods (social media, paid ads, email, etc.) you will use to promote their products, you may be approved.  

Write out a very brief paragraph that highlights your enthusiasm, experience with the product and how you plan to promote it to your audience. You can copy and paste this paragraph into any application that asks you for information. 

Only include the information requested in your application. Depending on what the company asks for, be prepared to include the following: 

There are some affiliate programs who will approve you without an approval process. So don't let a small audience stop you from applying.

Most affiliate programs have someone who manages the program.  If you can email or contact that person to inquire about what they are looking for in affiliate partners before applying, it may help you get a feel for what they are looking for.

If you find that you don't meet the criteria, you will know what you will need to do to qualify. 

Having a sound marketing plan is a good idea no matter what you're trying to sell. A plan will benefit your business whether you're approved as an affiliate or not. 

Affiliate Programs for Gamers

Here is a list of affiliates that have products you can promote in the gaming niche. 

Razor - Razer is more than just the world's leading gaming brand. They inspire gamers everywhere with their razor-sharp focus on being the best in-game and in real life.

Nvidia - The NVIDIA affiliate program gives you a great way to boost interest in your site—and your bottom line. Just promote our products on your site to give your visitors exclusive access to the full range of proven, trusted, industry-leading products.

Bose - is one of the best consumer electronic products manufacturers that offer high-quality headphones and speakers. Their noise-canceling headphones are adored by gamers since they provide an amazing experience. Join their affiliate program using Commission Junction.

Best Buy - is almost as big online as it is offline with a range of products to choose from. They have a massive gaming section catering for everyone, XBOX, PlayStation and PC. Best Buy is an North American company and focus mostly on the US region, but also operates in Canada and Mexico. So if you want a solid gaming affiliate program with a large variety of products, Best Buy might just work for your gaming blog.

Microsoft - is the pioneer of making PCs available for everyone, rather than the nerds. That saying, playing video games has also become easier for those people who couldn’t afford high-end computers. You may already know that they are the proud manufacturer of Xbox. their affiliate program lets your audiences buy required consoles and accessories through your website. Join their affiliate program through Viglink.

Logitech - Their gaming devices include headsets, speakers, gaming mouse pads, webcams, joysticks, etc. You will also find a “heavy equipment bundle” on their website that will allow you to perfectly recreate a tractor’s control from the comfort of your couch.

Twitch - The Twitch Partnership Program is for those who are committed to streaming and are ready to level up from Affiliate. Twitch Partners are creators who stream a variety of content, from games, music, talk shows, art, to just about anything else you can imagine. If you love sharing what you do with a live community, and have built up a sizable audience on Twitch or other services.

Amazon - Amazon is the biggest online retailer with over a million of products to choose from, with a wide variety of gaming related product. Amazon’s Associates program is perfect for any size, whether you’re a large network or small gaming blog. They have simple tools to easily monetize your website to start making money. Amazon is probably the best affiliate program you can apply to in order to make money from your gaming blog, YouTube Channel or Twitch.

Epic Games - Those who have played popular games like Gear of War, Unreal, or Fortnite, know about Epic Games. Their incredible creation Fortnite took the world by storm within a month after its launch. Apart from their own games, they also sell games developed by others through their platform. People can choose from a wide collection of RPG, strategy, and shooter games to play.

Origin PC - is one of the best custom PC system builders in the world, especially for gaming purposes.  Their gaming PCs and laptops come with a sleek look and perfect for both casual and hardcore gamers. 

To join their affiliate program, you need to apply through their website. It will take up to 72 hours to be approved, meaning that you need a good audience base to join the program.

How to Monetize Your Channel

Love Gaming? Get started by monetizing a YouTube Channel with gaming videos. For example see how to record Call of Duty game play and learn about the other games you can recorded using Bandicam.

You can also monetize your business using the following methods:

Popular Games

A Platform That Suits You

Your platform will become your central hub, a place to send people who are interested in gaming. This will be a place that people can learn how to get set up, gaming hacks, equipment and more. 

Because gaming is visual, you'll need a video channel like YouTube or Vimeo to show your gaming sessions.  

To sell your tutorials, written guides, equipment, and other items, you'll need an eCommerce platform like WooCommerce or Shopify.

Attract An Audience

To attract an audience, focus specifically on the issues of people in the gaming niche. What do they struggle with, what are some of the popular games that they should focus on when getting started? What are their challenges, and how can your business help them?

Once you know what people in your niche struggle with, create graphic, video and written content for gamers. Create valuable content that they can use to get results.

Use social media to promote your content, daily which will attract an audience of people to your business.  

Build and Nurture an Email List

This is one of the most important steps when it comes to building a business. Once visitors start showing up on your platform, invite them to take the next step and join your list.

Create email content that you can send your audience on a regular basis. Your initial email content should not be all about selling. It should be focused on educating your audience about who you are, what you do and how your company can help them. 

As an option, you can create a free lead magnet that will motivate more people to join your list. 

A lead magnet can be something as simple as a written eBook, a mini course or a video that gives your ideal customers and quick look into your business and what you have to offer. 

Nurture your email list by providing content your audience needs to reach their goals. This also positions you as someone who knows what they are doing.

Create the know, like and trust factor and become the "go to" person for your audience. Answering questions, providing resources and stellar advice that helps them reach their goals. 

Provide Gaming Solutions and Equipment

This is where you eCommerce store comes in. You can sell products that help gamers solve problems. These can be products you create (digital products) as well as products created by others (affiliate products). 

To sell products, you would select an eCommerce platform, set up your shop, select a payment processor and start promoting your products using the social media accounts we discussed earlier.

This will attract potential customers to your business, giving you the opportunity to generate a lead or new customers. You can also set up automation that builds your list on autopilot. 

Your goal is to use your business to turn your interest in gaming into a business you can earn from over the long term. 

Industry Information

In a recent survey by YouGov completed in 2020, seventy-seven percent of respondents over the age of 18 identified as male compared with 23% who identified as female, and 65% of the hardcore gamers were ages 18 to 45.

If you're a beginner gamer, there's no reason you can't make money from this hobby. Start honing your skills, learn and develop unique strategies, create great content and there are multiple avenues of revenues for you to pursue.

According to Insider Intelligence there will be 177.7 million monthly gamers in the US this year—meaning more than half of the US population will identify as a digital gamer by the end of 2021.