Ways that "Gamers" can make money?

I'm creating a master list of money-making ideas for the Gamer Culture. Example ideas would be:

Gaming Forums w/ads
Paid Surveys
Selling Game Walkthroughs

Basically something a "Gamer" could do while he's in between games.


Any ideas?

 

You could farm for gold in MMORPGS

 

i'm looking for ways they could make real money, could they by doing this?

 

Yes, farm gold, sell on ebay or on specialised sites.


http://search.ebay.com/world-of-warcraft-gold_W0QQfrppZ50QQfsopZ1QQmaxrecordsreturnedZ300

 

very interesting, any others?

 

when i was doing fan sites, i was selling the game through amazon.
there is also some market for custom content. like for sims series.

 

become a pro gamer ?

 

I think the methods used to profit with gaming are different depending on the game. I was a long time Ultima Online player and sold gold, rare items, and accounts for real money, using ebay. It was profitable at the time and I was able to make anywhere from $800-$2000 per month through normal game play. (Normal for me- not the 'average' player ) There is still a market for gold and items in UO, but it has changed drastically. When I played, a million game gold would sell for $20-$25. I recently saw that it is now $3-$5 per million, though it is probably much easier to farm now, with 'safe' lands and the like.

Farming game gold is big business in the larger games, like World of Warcraft, but you can't do it alone and compete with the companies using overseas labor to do it dirt cheap. These companies also provide leveling and sell accounts. It isn't impossible, but it would be difficult to go with this to make a decent living. You'd also have to be large enough to earn the trust for leveling services. Selling accounts could be profitable, if you're quick to level up characters. Unfortunately, the skills alone is usually not enough to make a good profit on the account. People want the character to be equipped with end-game items and the best gear. Time consuming, but probably easier than farming gold.

I think guides and informational sites would work well and I was actually considering doing this, as I've recently obtained a TON of information and guides on some of the more popular MMORPGs.

I know that in some larger cities, there are 'tournaments' for strategy games, like counterstrike. I don't know how well one would profit for that, but it is another route for you to look into, if those things are available where you are .

 

I used to play a game called eve online.

I bought some original blueprints off ebay, copied the blue prints in the game and was making about $500 per month just by copying and selling the ingmae items on ebay.

I got banned in the end becasue if you read the small print of the rules of the games, it will say something about not selling the items for real world money.

I got caught in the end.

Just be careful when selling game items on ebay.

You can make some serious money though but you gotta be careful if the "clever" GM's catch you.

 

Ok, what about ideas that Gamer's could do, but are not necessarily related to gaming in general...?

this has been a really informative thread for me, thanks guys.

 

If it isn't related to gaming, then I suppose it would have to be related to something else they like/know/want to learn--- which would put them right here with the rest of us

Are you looking for ways to support your gamer-addict friends, so they can feed their addiction all day and still pay the rent?

 

In all seriousness, forget about playing games to make money. Unless you're a Pro gamer and regonized by gamers around the world and are being endorse by companies like Nvidia, you arnt gonna make much money by playing games. On the other hand, making websites about games, producing games can make alot of money.

 

If you're not into making serious money, you might consider posting for pay. There are a couple of services here that advertise the service. I've seen some sites that pay you to view ads (paid to surf) and read emails, but I don't know if they are profitable at all. Also, writing content for gaming sites is another option.

I know that alot of gamers are web savvy and have various skills in creating flash games, movies, and graphic designs. For all those with skill, there are just as many without it. Lots of people like to have custom signature graphics and character portraits- so for the artistic types, there's another way. Signature graphics and character portraits could also be traded for game gold/plat/whatever, that can later be sold on ebay or to gold resellers (like IGN).

 

Create blogcast (video or podcast) of news, rumors, tips and hints. Use a service like AudioBlog (best value IMO) or YouTube to host the content, but use your own domain and have adsense and sell ads etc. Make it funny or comprehensive enough, through good writing skills, and the X-Play (a cable show that reviews games) crowd will probably subscribe to your RSS feed.

Become a news scour. Quite a few blogs are looking for interns or reporters to scoop news as it happens or before it happens.

Be a beta tester. There are lists online, though some of them seem scammy, of places that need paid beta testers.

Develop your own game. Some of the best games DIY games that sell them for $10 to $20 per copy, but distribute through shareware and indie channels. You can even score the equivilent of the elusive book deal in the games industry. The classic example is Alien Hominid and Snood. Both started out as shareware games and eventually got publishers to publish to Gamecube, DS, Gameboy, etc.

Start a fansite for specific game. Lots of Halo, Katamari, Rainbow Six, Halflife, Doom, Sims, etc sites making some pretty coin. Doesn't just have to be a forum (although that's the easiest way to keep people around). Can be a blog or even a regular info site.