How Can a CS:GO Fan Earn Money With Their Hobby?
Yuriy SheremetComputer games have always been considered as a hoity-toity business. Children’s interest in football or chess is encouraged by parents in the majority of cases. As for computer games, most of the people see there only a waste of time… But everything changes year by year. The fan base of computer games is huge and it does not stop growing. Up-and-coming gamers may use the situation and turn their gaming hobby into a way of earning money to once and forever defend themselves from reproaches about the idleness of this activity. Let us consider several ways of how a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive fan may do it.
Participation in Amateur Tournaments
Counter-Strike is one of the most popular and cognizable modern games. Even a person who is not interested in video games will definitely recognize CS having watched a couple of seconds of the gameplay. Thanks to this popularity, CS:GO is often chosen as the main discipline for amateur tournaments.
It is possible to take part not only in the team competition but also 1vs1 championships. You can find these events using the search systems. Many tournaments are sponsored by fan communities. This is a little money (if we compare it with rewards at the professional competitions) but it is more than enough to start the career. CS:GO tournaments take place both online and at the LAN parties.
Recommend to read:
- Mirage map – An overview of all locations and their labels on the map;
- Inferno map – A comprehensive guide to the designated positions in the game;
- CSGO Nuke callouts – Identifying the in-game positions on the Nuke map;
- Ancient callouts – Familiarizing with the terms players use for map positions;
- Vertigo CSGO – A detailed breakdown of all map positions and their labels.
In-game Items Trade
Everybody wants to stand out in the crowd somehow. There is a chance to do it in CS:GO thanks to the system of skins for weapons. A player sees weapons but not the character themselves on the screen. Teammates and opponents may notice them in the same way. It is surprising but the value of the rarest skins may turn over several thousand dollars. It is a known fact that the Dragon Lore skin for AWP was once sold for more than 61,000 USD.
To gain unique skins, you do not need to play CS:GO like a pro but you should just spend a lot of time there every day. There are several ways to gain unique cosmetics in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive both free and fee-based. You may use the items in the game, buy the keys of so-called cases where you can find some valuable skins. Also there is a chance to buy skins from other players on Steam Marketplace. You may also sell CS:GO skins on Steam or on special sites. Your income will depend only on the rarity and popularity of skins.
Selling Account
Making good money is possible if you sell an account with all cosmetics and rang to other gamers. You can find special market places for this on the Internet. This is a perfect option for a gamer who wants to retire and forget about CS and the world of video games at all. But there are people who boost accounts professionally – they level up and then give all the progress to another person for real money.
It is worth noting that it is a rather criticized way of earning money in the gaming community. People who do it affect matchmaking processes negatively. Transfer of accounts from one person to another is banned by the developers of computer games including Valve. Their accounts could get banned forever. Those esportsmen who boost accounts are removed from competitions.
Esports Bets
You may earn money with your interest in CS:GO not participating in the matches. You may only have a good understanding of the game and awareness about teams existing in the world and also organizations related to Counter-Strike. One of the popular ways of earning money today is bets on CS:GO. Many websites are focused on bets on esports matches. Such resources are promoted by popular streamers on Twitch. We should mark the esports bets are likely to be a kind of gambling than a reliable source of earning money. The chance of losing all money is rather high for a CS:GO fan.
Streaming on Twitch or YouTube
Twitch and YouTube are perfect platforms for stable earning on the Internet if it concerns video games. Each of the resources makes it possible to have live streams or upload videos. Nevertheless, Twitch is considered to be a more convenient platform for streams and YouTube is more appealing for uploading various videos. The success of this deal depends on the merits of the gamer but not on luck. The way of approaching the process also depends on the gamer themselves. A professional CS player may demonstrate their skills, tell about unique strategies, analyze matches, etc. But the amateur players should not get disappointed – a good sense of humor and charisma of the author often attract even more attention than the gaming process itself no matter how spectacular it is.
There are also a lot of ways to monetize CS:GO video content. If you have a big audience you may become a Twitch or YouTube partner. On Twitch, the author gets a part of the money if their viewer enters a premium subscription to their channel. On YouTube, the owner of the channel earns thanks to ads; the service chooses what to show to the viewers. You may also earn money thanks to advertising even without Twitch and YouTube. But the problem lies in the fact that the gamers will have to look for advertisers and discuss all the conditions of the deal themselves. And, finally, the most devoted fans will be able to fund all the activities of the CS:GO channel’s owner. Today monetary donations are customary for Twitch and YouTube. There are many web-services that ease the donation process for both sides. We should say that counting on good money for any of the mentioned approaches is possible only if there is high-quality content that may attract Internet users.
Professional Esports
If your gaming skills are polished and the number of hours spent in CS:GO amount to thousands, there is a sense to advance to Tie 1 esports. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is one of a few games that can boast a developed esports arena. Global events are funded by Valve and many outside organizations. Professional CS:GO players are as popular as footballers. If your approach is appropriate, esports may become your life career.
Esportsmen earn different money. Of course, there is a perfect option to take first places and gain huge grabs. But you can also get a stable salary from sponsors. The same as in regular sports, there are esports companies that fund teams, buy or sell players, and handle all organizational issues themselves. Attracting the audience, sponsors make money with ads or selling their own products. The player just has to earn a high salary but on condition that they will demonstrate a stable high level of gaming. It’s worth saying that the path to esports is challenging. Taking the first steps for a newbie will be a difficult task. You will need reliable PC and gaming high-level accessories and also you will need to find other players to make a team and get information about different events.
Conclusion
Counter Strike: Global Offensive is one of the modern computer games that can help you to earn real money. And any player from professional to amateur may find their own way here. You can make money participating in the tournament, trading skins or accounts, streaming on Twitch or YouTube. But to make it a success, you will have to put in efforts and develop other skills apart from gaming ones.
Yuriy Sheremet – Expert in mobile gaming and esports among shooters and MOBA games.
At EGamersWorld, Yuriy, as in 2020 when he joined the portal, works with content, albeit with adjustments to his area of responsibility.