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10 Business Ideas For Gamers

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Gaming needn’t just be a hobby. What if you could actually make money from your passion? Better still, what if you could make money on your own terms by starting your very own gaming-based business?

There are many different business ideas centred around video games that could be worth considering. Below are 10 examples of business ideas that are perfect for gamers with an entrepreneurial streak. 

Sell used games and consoles

There’s a large market for used games and consoles. This is a business that you may be able to launch simply from selling some of your own old games and consoles. You can then start buying used games and consoles with some of this revenue and start selling them for profit.

Most people start off such a business by selling online via eBay or by setting up a market stall. The next step could be to set up your own website to sell your games and consoles through, or even to set up a physical store if you feel you’re able to make enough revenue (at this point, it could be worth selling new consoles and games too). 

Rarer games, consoles and accessories will likely make you the most amount of profit. You’ll need to spend a lot of time searching sites like eBay and Gumtree, attending car boot sales and rummaging through second hand stores to find stock – be prepared to put this time in. Being a knowledgeable and enthusiastic gamer will ultimately help you. You may even be able to track specific games or consoles down for customers as a unique service. 

Rent out gaming equipment

Video games rental businesses have largely died out, however video games equipment rental businesses are on the rise. What does this entail? Such businesses allow customers to rent out equipment like controllers, gaming chairs and headphones. This could include hiring for single use or paying a monthly rental fee for more extended use. 

Renting equipment can be more affordable for customers upfront than buying equipment. At the same time, it can be a great money-maker for you – in the long run you’ll make back the money spent on buying this equipment. You could set up a physical store to rent from or you could set up a website to rent from. A website is likely to be the most profitable option. You could even set up an online store that sells and rents equipment. 

Start a console repair/modification company

There’s also a market for console repairs and modding. This includes fixing broken consoles as well as adding custom modifications. If you’ve dabbled in repairs and modding in the past and you enjoy it, this could be a great business venture to look into.

You can set up a company online and repair and modify consoles from your home to save money. As you start to generate steady revenue from it, you could consider then setting up a store. You’ll need to invest in all the right equipment and it could be worth practising on some old consoles. Make sure that any modifications you make to consoles are safe and legal.

Set up a gaming lounge

A gaming lounge could be another great business idea. These are buildings in which customers can pay to play video games. Such a space could be rented out for parties or customers could be allowed to walk in and play at their leisure much like a games arcade. The type of gaming experience you offer is up to you.

Some gaming lounges are focused around retro gaming – they may include old consoles and vintage arcade machines. Other gaming lounges may be more focused around modern games and may incorporate all the latest technology such as VR, as well as allowing customers to play on professional gaming chairs with multiple screens much like a real pro. On top of this service, you could offer food or drink – you could run it as a gaming cafe or even a gaming bar.

Such a business can be fun to run, but can also be a lot of work and may require a lot of upfront investment. You’ll need to be able to afford the space and all the equipment, which you could choose to buy or rent. If you’re serving food and drinks, you’ll need the appropriate licences and staff who can serve these food and drinks. This site offers a great guide to setting up a gaming lounge that could be worth reading. 

Host pop-up gaming parties

You can take advantage of the gaming party industry without necessarily needing premises of your own. One solution could be to host gaming parties at other people’s houses. You can supply all the games and equipment, as well as potentially putting on events like gaming tournaments or custom events for your party attendants.

This is fast becoming a popular events business (it’s a popular option for kids’ birthdays). You’ll need to buy all the necessary equipment and maintain it. You’ll also need to set up a website to advertise your business. Other than this, there aren’t too many initial costs. 

Start a gaming blog/vlog

You can also make money out of a blog or vlog. A gaming blog could be used to provide gaming news, game reviews, opinion articles and guides. A vlog could meanwhile be used to provide walkthroughs, reviews, news or simply ‘let’s play’ style videos. 

Making money from a blog or vlog isn’t easy. You have to build up a sizable audience first. You can then start making money through ad revenue or sponsored content. 

To build a large audience you’ll need to consistently post content of a high quality. When creating a profitable blog, it could be worth paying for a custom domain name and possibly paying a web developer to make your blog look more professional. When setting up a gaming vlog, make sure you’ll got all the right equipment such as a microphone and camera, as well as video editing software.

Set up a video game marketing business

Game developers need a way of marketing their games. Setting up a video game marketing business could be a way of tapping into this need. This could involve pitching to gaming publications, creating video adverts and helping with things like SEO and social media marketing.

Such a business will likely require some experience with marketing. If you’re creating video adverts, you may also need some video production experience. As a video game marketer, you’ll get to test out new games and be the person to introduce them to the rest of the world – it could be a very rewarding career. 

Start a video games testing business

Before video games are released, they need to be tested for bugs and other issues. Video games testers aim to try and identify any flaws, so that these can be ironed out before the game is released. 

A video games testing business could be something to consider if you love gaming and have some programming knowledge. Qualifications in video game design could help, as well as possibly some experience working as an employee for video games testing companies, however such experience isn’t mandatory.

Develop your own video games

Developing video games is a dream business for many people. This could include console games, PC games or mobile games. 

Developing your own video game requires you to have some knowledge of video game design. You’ll likely need to work with a team of people, as video games require a lot of work to produce. Most game developers start with small indie games. From here, you can then build a name for yourself and move onto bigger games. 

Be prepared to pour a lot of time and money into this business. If you enjoy developing video games as a hobby, you may already be on the right path. You’ll find many guides online on how to set up your own video games development company that could be worth reading.

Become a professional gamer

Quite possibly the ultimate gaming business opportunity, professional gamers get paid to simply play video games. Of course, to be a paid professional video gamer, you have to be very good at your chosen game. If you play lots of video games and consistently come at the top of the leaderboards, you may stand a chance of successfully going pro.

How do gamers go pro? You’ll likely need to start by taking part in small paid tournaments. Some of these have an entry fee for taking part, so bear this in mind. If you win or come second or third place, you’ll win some reward money. From here, you can start to look into more serious gaming tournaments with bigger jackpots. The largest tournaments have a jackpot of millions of pounds. This guide explains more about how to become a professional gamer.

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