Hobby
If you have no interest in going further into gaming and possibly earning anytime of income then that puts you in this category. This is the majority of gamers, and most of them are content with it. A hobby as you know is doing something you love doing, in your free time. Well, in my opinion turning a hobby into a form of income is one of the most satisfying things you can do. I’m sure you guys have been told “Do what you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life”, and if not, I’m happy to be the one to tell you. Taking a hobby to the next level just expands your hobby into another category.
Side Income
This is clearly the step that comes between turning your hobby into a full time living. Sometimes of course you can skip this step, but I wanted to emphasis the importance of this step, because there’s a chance it may never go further, and that’s okay. A buddy of mine plays StarCraft 2 with hopes to be a pro, and in the meanwhile he is earning side money and is given things to play video games! What could be better then that? Okay, other then making thousands of dollars to play video games…. He has a sponsorship that has sent him a new computer, keyboard, monitor, mouse, hardware, the whole nine yards, which also sends him cases of waters every other week. (Hey guys, when you live on your own this is a big plus!) On top of that he makes donations and a couple bucks here and there to stream his game play. Now we’re talkin’! So he’s been given so far, slow, but an income from gaming, and thousands of dollars worth of computer parts! I’d take it. Of course he wants to eventually go pro, but in the meantime this is awesome for him.
Another good example is LowElo.com. If you guys don’t know them, then you should go check them out. They run a League of Legends podcast. I listen, and was lucky enough to read Daves full bio on how he got started, and how he now feels like the luckiest guy in the world. To sum it up, him and his buddies (also on the podcast) played countless games of League of Legends a day, most of the time until late into the night; and this transformed them eventually into a successful income and business. One day Dave noticed he has well over a thousand games played, and knew a lot about the game, and decided to make a podcast. Of course at first no one was listening, but then, suddenly and miraculously, people began flooding in to listen to their podcast. Dave is now really involved in the League of Legends community, and making a nice income from his website, podcast, and stream. This is a great example of the whole ladder I am talking about!!! Started as a hobby, made some side income, and now he’s making a living doing what he loves.
Lifestyle
There are a ton of different lifestyles to be had in the gaming world, and they are expanding! Lowelo.com is a great example, and I’ve also written articles on “How much do Pro Gamers Make” and “How to become a Pro Gamer”, which fit this category. I would obviously also include any type of profession that has to do with video games into the lifestyle category, but I really want to stick to people making an income with things that started as a hobby. Other forms of income is people that post YouTube videos, run websites, and many other things; BUT my main point really is, do what you love. Even if you stay in the side income category, that’s great; and there’s always the chance of it becoming more.
Summary
Hobbies are things you love doing in your spare time, so why not make money while doing them? Not only are there chances of sponsorships, slow income, and random gifts given to you for doing something you love, but there’s that chance that your hobby gone side business turns into something huge! It can’t happen unless you try it, and regardless it’s a win win situation for you, so good luck and go get em’.