Almost any young person who truly loves to play video games dreams about becoming a professional gamer. They see this as a way to channel their passion into a full-time job that they’ll enjoy doing. On top of that, we’ve seen just how successful gamers can get through streams, sponsorship deals, and ad revenue. That said, you’ll likely have to work between 2 and 4 years before you start to gain meaningful recognition online. Still, many are rightly on the quest to figure out how to become a professional gamer and get paid. So let’s talk about the elements that make this profession so lucrative, and figure out if it’s a viable career path. 

Casino Sponsorships in the Professional Gamer Community 

One of the reasons why streaming became a more profitable career is due to the growth of the gambling industry. There are gambling communities all over the EU in countries like Hungary, the UK, Poland, and so on. Both magyar online casino sites that often operate globally and studios that make casino games want to advertise their product to their target demographic. Since many gamers aged 21 and above are on sites like Twitch, these companies often sponsor streamers to play on their site or play their games when they go live. 

But the collaboration doesn’t end there. A professional video game player who competes in tournaments is treated just like any other athlete. Brands want them to wear their logo on the T-shirt, or their hardware when playing, which means they get paid regardless of whether they win or not. 

Sources of Revenue

It’s one thing to know how to become a professional gamer, and completely different to figure out how to monetize those skills properly. So, let’s see what all the potential revenue streams are at one’s disposal and then talk about how to tap into these. 

Revenue Source	Time to First Payment	Potential Income Range	Skill Level Required	Consistency Rating
Gaming tournaments	Up to 5 years with 50-60 hours of weekly training	$10,000 to $50,000 on average, but it can go into 6 and 7 figures	Incredibly high and difficult to achieve	Highly inconsistent
Streaming	6 months to 2 years if you are consistent	$2,000 a month, assuming you have around 1,000 viewers	You need to be above average, but it’s not necessary to be a pro	Inconsistent on the lower and mid-tiers
YouTube Content	4 to 12 months of consistently uploading high-quality content	$1 to $5 per 1,000 views	It’s desirable but not necessary to be good at games in order to make quality gaming videos	Depends on engagement and the algorithm
Sponsorships	6 to 18 months of consistent uploads or streams	Mid-tier celebrities earn between $5,000 and $10,000	High if you want to be sponsored as a pro gamer	Inconsistent on the lower and mid-tiers

 

How to Become a Pro Gamer – Building the Necessary Skill Set

Whether you are a streamer or an aspiring pro player, you need to remember one thing. You can’t play anything that you’d like. In most cases, you have to pick one title that has a strong community and then try to attract as many community members to your channel. You can experiment with different games, but once you find something that attracts more attention and makes you visible, stick to that choice. You should choose a strong franchise that has prospects for longevity or relevance (Fortnite, Call of Duty, Overwatch, FIFA, etc.) and is a legitimate eSport.

Then, if you want to learn how to get into competitive gaming you’ll have to train a lot. Playing 6-8 hours a day, reviewing your gameplay, doing drills to master different combos, and applying for local tournaments. Even if you just plan to stream, you need to become good at this game to compete on higher tiers of play. After all, many of those who view streams are also looking to learn new tricks. Now, you should also practice playing while talking to the audience, following chat messages, and just keeping the viewers entertained. So, it can be somewhat demanding until you fully adjust. 

What Does a Professional Gamer Do to Become an Internet Celebrity? 

Now, being good or even a top-tier player won’t be enough for this career path. Becoming visible online and building a community requires additional skills. Here’s a snapshot of what you’ll need to pull it off:

• High quality recoding equipment – The videos need to look and you need a quality PC to make sure games perform smoothly.
• Social media presence – You need to advertise your content, even pay for ads to increase visibility and to help you build an audience for your streams
• Consistency – You need to make videos and stream at least once a week, and then post the announcements on your social media profiles
• SEO fundamentals – Use tools to help you name your videos and come up with tags in order for your posts to be more visible and pop up more frequently on other people’s feeds. 
• Watch other successful creators – Learn from others what makes their streams or videos so interesting, and how they interact with their audience. Then decide what you want to do differently in order to establish your own creator-identity or persona
• Video editing – This is an absolute necessity in order to create great video content. You’ll need to make edits of your streams, put together highlights, and then publish those shorts as content on YouTube, TikTok, X, and Instagram 

Each one of these points is a complex topic that can be discussed separately, so if you are just starting out, take some time to learn these things. It can be overwhelming, but take one step at a time, and feel free to learn on the fly. It’s better to start doing something even if you don’t know all the basics, because the digital landscape is constantly changing. 

Avoid Burnout

Figuring out how do you become a professional gamer essentially means figuring out how to run your own business. So, you’ll have to track expenses, innovate when it comes to your presentation, and yes, even micromanage things that seem irrelevant. However, you should also avoid burnout. Take a break from games, do something else, and spend time away from the screen, if you want to keep your mental and physical health.