Fuel Your Game Addiction: How to Earn Money by Playing Online Games

What's better than playing online games for free? Hands down, and I am sure you will agree that it's a lot better if you can actually earn money while playing your favorite online games. So why not line your pocket with a bit of cash while you are online and playing? Read on to find out exactly how to do this and learn more about the best ways to make money.

Best Ways to Make Money from Online Game Virtual Objects

If you are a gamer, you know what MMOG is. Nevertheless, let me discuss it further. MMOG is short for Massively Multiplayer Online Game. Massively because anyone from anywhere in the world with an Internet connection can play the game, hence, multiplayer. Contrary to common belief that MMOGs can only be played via PCs or personal computers, there are now MMOs that can be accessed and played through consoles such as PS3, PSP, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360, Wii and PS Vita. Mobile Devices and phones running on iOS, Android and Windows are also able to play MMO games.

What many online gamers do not know is that they can convert their virtual items, money, and characters to REAL WORLD CASH. So stop playing, double-check your game inventory and assess everything. Each time you level up your character, or gain a better reputation with your chosen faction or acquire a kick-ass weapon, your account can also increase in real world value. I know of a lot of people who are making a decent chunk of income from leveling up and selling their characters and items. One solid example: According to recent gaming news, a gamer sold his virtual Entropia Universe resort for a whopping $635, 000. That's real world US dollars! Years ago, Guinness Book of World Records listed the same item as the most valuable online/virtual item ever.

If you are interested in selling your virtual goods, keep in mind that the item value can fluctuate depending on your game world reputation. Also, there are websites/games that do not allow selling or conducting transactions that involve intellectual property infringement. So it is a good idea to check the TOS or the terms/policy of the website so that you can avoid being banned from the game.

Write Game, Write Stuff, EARN MONEY

One of the best ways to make money from playing your favorite online game is to write what you know about it, and what you think about it. Let me give you straight figures. According to gaming statistics, the World of Warcraft game alone has about 10 million subscribers and players all over the world, bagging the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's most popular MMORPG or MMO Role Playing Game. Surely, a majority of these players seek for information almost all the time, especially on techniques, strategies, and tricks.

So, how will you earn? You can start an info blog about the free/subscribed games that you play. You can establish yourself as an expert about the games. People will go to your blog for the most current technique or information, which will make your blog popular. You can then sell the spaces in your blog for advertising. Google and other companies PAY A LOT just to put ads on your blog.

Do not let this scare you. Do not think that you might need to spend a lot just to get this rolling. Actually, you just need to create a FREE blog account with platforms such as WordPress, Blogger, or LiveJournal. To be able to display advertisement on your blog and earn money from it, the easiest and best way to do this is to register for an account in Google Adsense. It's free, don't worry. You will eventually learn the ropes, and move on to better things such as becoming an affiliate for products connected to free online gaming.

Affiliate? What is that word? I promise you, once you get the blogging thing rolling, you will decide to move on to other money-earning options. You will most likely to be introduced to the term Affiliate Marketing. It's like a branch of your blogging. Consider it as a LEVEL UP in earning money via online games. Becoming an Affiliate Marketer is simple. All you need to do is market online gaming products or websites to fellow gamers and you will earn a commission out of every sale.

I know one Affiliate Marketer for online gaming portals who earns more than $2,000 a month from his blog. Yes, you can use your blogs for both Google Adsense and to market your chosen products as well. If you read the other articles on this blog, you will find out more about the best ways to earn money from blogging and affiliate marketing.

Write for Game Portals and Strategy Guides

If you are a serious gamer, I'm pretty sure you've been to some forum or game portal sites such as MMOBomb and others. Big sites such as this are always looking for articulate writers who can produce relevant content. The rates are pretty alright. Imagine, all you need to do is write about what you know of the game you are playing, and the site will pay you.

Aside from writing for gaming portals, you can also earn money by playing online games through strategy guide building. Strategy guides for MMOGs sell like hotcakes these days, so you can get into the bandwagon and earn from this, too. Choose a game that you really know and are good at, and write a comprehensive walkthrough about it. You can write a guide that can be a huge depository of tactics and information for a game, or a guide for a particular area such as building a WoW Mage class. If you think you can do it alone, go for it and release the guide. You may need some knowledge on marketing and some background in web development. You can also apply to write a strategy guide with some portals or MMOG strategy guide sellers and make this option one of your best ways to make money through online gaming.

Forum Post All You Want

Great sites like PostLoop.com pay good money to people who have things to say about something. If you love sharing your ideas and what you know about things, then this place is perfect for you. PostLoop pays almost daily, so I'm voting for this as one of the best ways to make money online. All you need to do is register and follow their application process. Basically, the process involves writing 10 posts first, so that the site can evaluate your forum posting ability. You can choose the topics/niche to write for. In your case, online gaming. There are several forums on this topic where you can share your two cents.

Forum posting is fun, aside from being one of the best ways to make money online by playing online games. You can interact with your fellow forum posters, and get ideas from them, too. You can also establish professional relationships with your fellow posters; this will be a good way to establish clientele for your other endeavors (blogging, strategy guide, selling virtual stuff, REMEMBER?)

Feel Lucky? The Stars Might Favor You

If you are one of those who like trying out their luck in contests, sweepstakes and giveaways, cash in on it and make it another way to earn money by playing online games. A lot of MMOG sites and publishers run giveaways and contests. Most times, these contests only require you to play a specific part of the game, or answering a puzzle, or something like that.

You can win gaming gears that you can sell, such as electronics, game collectibles and clothings. You can also be awarded game shop money that you can use to buy perks or in-game items. This can be easily translated to extra cash in your wallet (read: you don't have to spend your own money just to buy virtual items). So joining these contests and sweepstakes may not sound like a bad idea at all.

My Overall Take

There are so many ways to earn money by playing online games, and the ones I mentioned up top are just some of them. Playing your free online games should not just be a source of enjoyment, but PROFIT as well, right? Serious online gamers who want to SERIOUSLY earn money by playing online games should not shy away from trying out the suggestions laid out earlier. If you really want to learn about the best ways to earn money online, find reliable resources and stick with them. Try each option out until you find one that fits you perfectly. Do not forget, you are a gamer. Ultimately, you must be able to enjoy your game and enjoy your life. Earn money while doing the things that you like most, this is the best choice anyone can make.