There is no hiding the fact that games have become part of our culture, and they are accepted and embraced by billions across the world. This was not always the case though, and those that demonstrated an interest in games at an early age were usually told to do something more productive. An even worse reaction could be seen by parents who were told by their children they wanted to play games as a job when they grew up. Of course, these were always dismissed out of hand because, at the time, this dream simply was not feasible. Fast forward to today, and everything has changed.
The rise of services like YouTube and Twitch have allowed passionate gamers to turn their hobby into a career, which is something that is desired by many, but they fail to do. With gaming, it is different as practically the whole world loves them, and there is a good percentage of people ready to consume content dedicated to gaming. This would have proved a popular pastime during the recent lockdowns, where the only entertainment that could be enjoyed had to be accessible from home. Online gambling was a popular activity, though restrictive legislation such as the West Virginia gambling laws would have meant that some had to look to other means, such as watching gaming content, to pass the time.
When it comes to earning money casually playing video games, there are no better methods than content creation and streaming. Content creation is where people record themselves playing video games and can either commentate live or after the footage has been recorded. They will then edit this and upload it to YouTube for their subscribers to access. Whether they play with a PlayStation and a 4k gaming tv set-up, or on their PCs, there’s no doubt that people love watching good gamers play well. This has proven to be a popular method when it comes to playing games for a living as with a sizeable enough audience, it can prove lucrative. However, it does have its downfalls; it is difficult to get established in YouTube now considering how many people are on it and the fact that gaming is no small niche. It also suffers from a lack of interactivity, which is not present through other platforms such as Twitch.
Twitch is an alternative platform that some people like using more than YouTube, although many will use both together to support themselves. As it is younger than YouTube, it is easier to get noticed on Twitch as it is still growing and is not yet a dominant player in the industry like YouTube is. Twitch is focused on live streaming rather than video sharing, so players who wish to earn money playing video games can do so in front of a live audience who can talk to these players and ask them questions in real-time. Some gamers even tend to look for growth companies listed on websites like EarthWeb to maximize their streaming efforts and gain more popularity. This means that the interactivity on this platform is much higher, and it may be more enjoyable for some, compared to making videos that audiences can only post on.
For the most part, the earning potential of both platforms are the same, but it seems that Twitch offers benefits that will likely apply to more people, such as easier entry and better interactivity. Those who want to play games for a living would do well to investigate the platform.