Today, people find that watching other people stream games is nearly as enticing as playing the game for themselves. In fact, the game streaming market already held a value of nearly ten billion dollars by 2023.
But why do game streamers do what they do, and how do they earn a living? Find out below.
How Much Do (i)Gaming Streamers Make?
Up to $1,500 a month is a reasonable expectation for someone streaming game-related content as a side hustle on a platform like Twitch. Full-time game streamers often report earnings of between $5,000 and $10,000 a month.
One notable exception is iGaming streams, where streamers may make additional money directly from the games they’re streaming. Unless they’re professional players whose games are broadcast or streamed on agreed terms, iGamers usually don’t stream their real games. Instead, they might display some educational content or analyze previous games of renowned gamblers or celebrities.
Those who want to learn more about various igames and catch some tech-supported incentives can get what they need at instant casinos – casinos that pay out faster than the norm. Aneeca Younas, a seasoned analyst of iGaming platforms explains how these offer attractive features like instant payouts, generous bonuses, and streamlined registration processes which have made them appealing to online gamblers all over the world. iGaming streamers can play a crucial role in the marketing strategies of these platforms as they might demonstrate their benefits and provide inherent endorsements of added perks and security credentials.
However, given the often heavily regulated nature of gambling sites, many prominent streaming platforms for gaming influencers and professional gamers, like Twitch, which features very strict policies, now have policies that ban streamers from endorsing iGaming sites. Players who want to know more about these sites often use professional review sites instead, to find online casinos that have been vetted for their safety and fairness features.
However, for lovers of traditional video games, most game streamers stick to ordinary video games on their streaming channels. Sharing gameplay advice for a specific game, demonstrating how a game works, or simply showcasing their skills in such games are commonplace for professional game streamers.
Why do Streamers Stream Games?
Generally, there are two main motivations behind game streaming. The first is the obvious answer — it’s a potentially lucrative enterprise that can earn an additional income, or even replace the streamer’s primary income.
The second motivation is perhaps less unexpected, some streamers do so merely because they want to share their knowledge and passion with the world. Not all game streamers even go through the effort of monetizing their streaming accounts. They just love the games they play and stream to remain an active part of the broader gaming community.
How do Streamers Earn Money?
Many people think that game streaming is an easy way to make money, but it can be fairly complex when you’re doing it as a full-time career. Here are some of the key ways the most successful gaming streamers earn money from it.
In-Platform Currency and Donations
According to the popular streaming tool Streamyard, the number one way that game streamers make money on Twitch (which is considered the most popular game streaming platform) is by earning Twitch Bits. Bits are the platform’s native currency, and each bit is equivalent to one US cent. However, Twitch keeps 50% of all bits earned, which significantly reduces the streamer’s earnings.
Bits are essentially a donation-based form of earning, and viewers will directly donate bits to the streamer. Theoretically, that means that the more viewers like the content the greater the streamer’s potential earnings are.
Some creators prefer platforms like YouTube Live or Amazon Luna, but no matter which streaming platform they use there’s typically an in-platform currency that allows them to receive donations.
Ad Revenue
Ad revenue is a significant form of revenue for many game stream creators. On Twitch, for instance, it is possible for the creator to run ads and receive revenue for it. The same is true for most other platforms.
However, this is an income stream that must be used wisely. If the streamer runs ads mid-stream, it can lead to a loss of viewership, which results in diminished income. However, by running ads when they step away from the stream, streamers can earn significant amounts of revenue.
According to Alibaba the potential earnings for top-tier streamers can be between $100,000 and $200,000. It’s worth noting, however, that there are two types of ads: affiliate ads and partner ads. When a streamer partners with specific brands and companies they will earn more per ad than on generic affiliate ads.
Subscriptions
While channel subscriptions may not make up the bulk of a streamer’s revenue, they are a stable source of income. Many gamers offer access to a paid subscription to their content, which gives subscribers access to behind-the-scenes content, additional content like Q&A sessions, and possibly even subscriber-only streams.
These kinds of subscriptions range in cost from as little as $5 per month to as much as $100 per month. Depending on the creator’s popularity, and the value of their subscription, this can turn into a significant income stream. For example, a creator with 100 paid subscribers and a $20 subscription fee will earn a guaranteed $2,000 every month.
Merchandise
As they grow in popularity, many game stream creators will branch out into merchandise. From T-shirts and mugs to mouse pads and branded joysticks, there are a million different options that fans would love to purchase.
Depending on the time of year, and the creator’s overall popularity, this can be a considerable income stream. Many creators will run limited-edition merchandise for a select time period, to help ensure that the merchandise sells out quickly and that they make their money back. Other streamers may opt to make more standard merchandise available to fans year-round and rely on the loyalty of their followers instead.
Sponsorships
If a game streamer is popular enough, they’ll often find themselves being approached by brands and companies wanting to partner with them.
These partnerships may be as simple as running adverts on the game streams, or as complex as full sponsorships where the brands provide free gaming paraphernalia or other products in exchange for reviews or endorsements.
Either way, after the streamer crosses a certain follower threshold, sponsorships can be an excellent way for them to earn an additional income without putting much additional work into their streaming career.
Conclusion
The video game industry is a multi-billion-dollar industry, and the game streaming industry is quickly becoming just as lucrative. Some content creators stream their games simply for the love of the game, or to share their knowledge. Others take it seriously and treat it like a full-time career.
No matter how you look at it, game streaming is a potentially lucrative career path that offers many different avenues for earning an income. With new digital platforms and communication channels growing without a stop, this branch has a bright future.
