With the growing popularity of having a side business as a way to earn extra cash, more and more people are looking for ways to earn a little extra cash. While many people choose to sell their services as a freelancer or create their own ecommerce store, others have found success with alternative methods.
Gamers are an influential segment of the population, with millions playing games on computers and mobile devices. In fact, in a survey conducted by the Entertainment Software Association, it was found that 42% of Americans play video games for at least an hour every day. This is great news for anyone who wants to make money from a side business idea in gaming.
The side hustle potential from developing or monetizing a game is massive. After all, market analysts predict that revenue from the gaming industry will grow to $108 billion by 2021. If you’re interested in developing or monetizing a game as a side hustle opportunity, there are several things you should know before getting started.
One of the most interesting and unusual side hustles out there right now is developing board games as a side gig. But can developing board games actually be a viable source of income? After all, they require quite a bit of upfront time and money to get started. Let’s take a look at if developing board games can be a side hustle and—if so—how you can make it work for you.
Is Games Development A Good Side Hustle?
Before getting into the details of how to build a game and make money from it, it’s important to know whether or not this is a viable side business idea in the first place. After all, there are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to gaming, so you want to make sure you’re on the right track.
The most important thing to know is that you don’t need to be a programmer to be successful with a gaming side hustle. While it’s true that a large portion of successful game developers are programmers, there are many other ways to get involved with gaming, such as by marketing games, writing or designing games, or building gaming communities.
How to Develop a Game as a Side Hustle
If you’ve decided that building a game as a side hustle is something you’d like to try, you’ll need to start with a proper plan. While it’s certainly possible to create a game from scratch in your free time, it’s not recommended.
There are several reasons for this, the main one being that it takes too much time. Unless you are a trained professional, building a game from scratch will take years.
Additionally, building a game from scratch will cost a significant amount of money, which isn’t possible for a side hustle. There are far better and quicker ways to get started building a game.
The most popular method for building a game as a side hustle is to use an existing engine. By leveraging an existing engine, you can build a game in a fraction of the time and at a fraction of the cost. You can even partner with and publish games that are developed using the same technology.
Earn Money By Developing Games
Not only can developing a game as a side hustle turn into a full-time job, but you can also make money while doing it. There are several ways to monetize games in the early stages of development, and many are simple.
There are three main ways that you can make money while developing your game as a side hustle.
- The first is by selling access to your beta. Beta testing is a great way to get real-world feedback on your game before it goes live. It’s also a great way to test your pricing model and make some money while you’re at it.
- The second way to make money while developing a game is by selling virtual items. This can range from selling in-game currency to rare items, or even selling soundtracks.
- The last way to earn money while developing your game is by selling your game itself.
Ways To Make Money From Games
There are three main ways that you can make money from games once they’re live.
- The first is by selling access or subscriptions to your game. This can be done either by charging one-time or recurring fees, or by selling advertising.
- The second way to make money from a game is by charging for virtual goods. This can range from charging for in-game currency to rare items, or even charging for soundtracks.
- The last way to make money from a game is by selling copies of the game itself. You can do this by selling the digital copy or printed version of the game. You can also partner with gaming companies to get your game placed in their gaming network for a fee.
Conclusion
Building a game as a side business is a great way to make money from your passions. There are several ways to monetize your game in the early stages of development, and many are simple.
There are three main ways that you can make money from your game once it’s live. The best way to make money from your game is to sell access to it to your audience. This will give them a taste for what the game has to offer, and allow you to generate recurring revenue.