Make a living from video games! Myth or reality?

I imagine everyone has already asked themselves this question! Can we make a living from video games? Here is my opinion!

In my youth, I asked myself this question several times. Can we make a living from video games? Obviously the few people who make a living from video games today will give you a big “yes” but clearly it’s not that simple. There are many ways to break through and why not make a living “one day” from video games (specialized JV blog/site, social networks, video game streaming, e-sport, developer…) but it’s a very long obstacle course. As with the Google dream, the dream of making a living from gaming is “many disappointed for very few chosen ones” (especially in France).

The blog/site specializing in gaming

It’s simple, I’m going to tell you about my personal experience. I started the startandplay.fr adventure in 2014 with a first site that I had coded entirely myself (in html5 and css) by following courses on the zero become site.openclassrooms. It was very informative but doing everything by hand was tedious in the long run. Then I discovered Wordpress and I seriously simplified my life. Obviously I made some beginner's mistakes on SEO and other themes around WordPress. Every day I learn new things and I always enjoy posting video game articles online. But I will answer your question straight away. No, I can't make a living from video games, it remains a hobby for me. My hosting costs €4/month and the domain name €15 per year. My Amazon partnership allows me to buy a game every 6 months. I am lucky enough to sometimes receive video games to test from publishers who trust me. For 2 years, the traffic to my blog has increased steadily, and I am very honored. I have many ideas for the future but I won't say more for the moment :p. What is certain is that I do not make money from my video game blog. My salary comes exclusively from my status as a civil servant, and my work cycle allows me to offer video game articles on my days off.  Get it in your head that it's mission (almost) impossible to make a living from video games with a JV site/blog, it's a very competitive and saturated sector. If most of the editors are volunteers it's not for nothing... The only ones who get by and generate income are the biggest and they sometimes (often) use trash/people press techniques with rumor/fake news type articles, unmentioned sponsored articles, and "putaclic" (seductive title).

Social networks and Influencers

Communication in the video games sector has been very present on social networks for many years. Former gaming journalists had the audacity to retrain as video game influencers with all the abuses that we unfortunately know today. Seeing the video game press failing, some of them have become video game influencers. They offer “gaming news” videos on social networks, but especially on Youtube/Tiktok, but also video game “tests”. In order to be well placed in the Youtube algorithms they do not hesitate to talk about game consoles which simply do not exist (Nintendo Switch Pro, 4K, XL to infinity and beyond, but also PS6…). In short, they keep alive the flame of rumors that make people fantasize, and dramas in the video game industry (takeover of Activision, rumor of takeover of Take Two by Sony). Basically, they publish well-referenced videos on YouTube all day long that appeal to their audience of children, teenagers and adults who are fanboys of console manufacturers. I consider these video game influencers like the giant billboards you see in town but also like TV commercials. They make the public dream with wind (or emptiness of your choice) and unfounded rumors. These well-known influencers make a living from the “pa$$ion” of video games (note the $$$). They raise a lot of money, publishers are crazy about these influencers, they offer them trips and helicopter rides. It is very likely that a good video game review from an influencer is much more effective than an advertising spot on TV or a test carried out by a video game journalist. The big influencers make a living from video games, that's for sure, just like those who launched their channel when YouTube started! Now Youtube is completely saturated. Good luck starting out as a video game influencer, it’s mission impossible!

Streaming / E-sport

The undeniable success of Twitch has allowed a few video game “streamers” to break through and become very famous. Being an old dinosaur, I never understood the point of watching someone play, instead of playing yourself! In short, I must be “too old for this bullshit” as someone else would say ^^. Obviously this success made many other players want to get involved as well. As usual, few are chosen for many who are disappointed. To break through, some of them have specialized in cable bursts, or offer streaming of very specific video games. I'll spare you the controversies of naked young women on Twitch, "pool streaming" of players pretending to play the video game in a bikini on a buoy... In short, it's enticing, it's a hit and it relieves our spotty and eternal virgin teenagers. But hey, I don't see what this category is doing on Twitch, which is basically a video game streaming platform. You understand that to break into JV streaming and make a living from video games, you have to stand out from the crowd, offer well-animated and original streaming. You can also buy a Unicorn buoy and stream from a swimming pool (shout out to Florian 😉)

Concerning E-sport, if you have talent in a particular video game, you shouldn't hesitate to get started. E-sport is growing in France and don’t hesitate to take part in competitions on competitive video games. If you are really good, you will quickly have a solid reputation and a community that will follow you without forgetting the sponsors and video game publishers who will support you. But you shouldn't believe that E-sport is just a hobby. It's work, concentration, but also a lot of training on the game, in short it's sporty.

The purchase and resale of consoles and video games

This is a trend that is confirmed year after year. Just see the sweepers in garage sales and during sales. A real gaming purchase/resale market has literally exploded. It's simple, they steal good deals, collector's consoles, and rare items, then they resell the same product 3 to 4 times more expensive. It has become a real business, much to the dismay of players who want to treat themselves to a collector's item. There is no doubt that this business (most of the time undeclared) allows you to make a living from video games, but it is clear that it is exclusively speculative and there is no passion for video games in it... Let's also mention video game stores. Fortunately, there are still a few businesses in town specializing in gaming and retrogaming, but for how much longer? To my greatest despair, they close one after the other… This risks ending up like the video clubs 🙁

Working in the JV environment

There are many jobs around video games. Programmer, designer, screenwriter, sound specialist, play tester, etc. I'm sure I'm forgetting many other jobs. Obviously you have to work hard at school and move towards higher education dedicated to the video game profession.  This seems to be a sector that pays well, but the culture of crunch when finalizing a game still seems to be doing damage.

So we can make a living from video games?

If you are in a hurry I would tend to say No, we cannot make a living from video games.

If you want to make a living from video games, the sacrifices are (very/too) numerous. For aspiring influencers and streamers, you have to plan a sabbatical, some money aside, and give your all to create your YouTube channel and your Twitch video game streaming channel and that doesn't guarantee success, it's really risky. Unfortunately, I see too many failures but also burnouts and fatigue among many JV streamers. Don't listen to the fine words of famous influencers and streamers who will tell you that it's easy to make a living from video games, that's not true. The Google dream remains a dream. There remains the possibility of monitoring the trends of the next fashionable social networks, in order to be the first, to have a greater chance of success and to have a community that will follow you. If you are good at a particular game, then get into e-sport, you could make a name for yourself.   Buying/reselling is also an option to make a living from video games, it's a full-time job. Don't forget to declare this activity and provide space to store the products. Higher education to work in the video games industry is also a great opportunity but you will have to work hard!

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