Did you ever think while growing up that being a "professional gamer" could actually be a viable career? Now, it is not only a viable career but one that could make you a millionaire. In fact, there are multiple different games that could make you a millionaire, but let's just look at ten.
Ten video games that could make you a millionaire.
Note: For the sake of simplicity, I am going to list the franchise for some of these games because when the new one comes out *cough*Call of Duty*cough*, then the newest one will be the way to make a million dollars.
10. Horror Games
So number ten is a bit of a catch all because, for some reason, people like to watch others get scared. Reaction/horror gaming isn't at quite the mainstream height it was in 2016, but it still gets views on YouTube and Twitch. The formula for making money for non-competitive gaming is pretty simple: videos/streams have ads, ads have ad revenue, and gamers receive ad revenue, and once a gamer gets big enough, add merchandise and make more profits.
9. Overwatch
Overwatch is a game that has managed to be a great game for casual and competitive gamers alike, which is why their is money to be made for people who play the game for fun on YouTube and Twitch, as well as playing the game at tournaments. While there aren't many big money tournaments, yet, this game is popular enough to be a big money game for years, especially if a sequel comes out. Start playing and become the best Overwatch player in the world, because it could make you a millionaire.
8. Halo
This one is for all the Xbox One owners, but Halo is a series that could really become worth mastering when Halo: Infinite comes out. One of the big reasons why Halo makes this list is that, as you will see with most of this list, competitive shooting games tend to have big money tournaments. Win a few tournaments, get a few sponsors, make some YouTube videos, stream a little on Twitch or YouTube, sell a little merch and make some serious money. This will be more of a team effort, however, so you might want to get a squad together now to be ready for the next big tournament.
7. Fortnite
Fortnite has exploded onto the scene and is now one of the biggest games in the world after roughly a year on the market. The biggest tournaments are on the way for this game, with Epic Games stating that they plan to have a $100 million in prizes for this coming esports season. Combine that with the smaller tournaments that happen almost hourly, and there is a lot of money to be made, but even Fortnite's top players are winning roughly 25% because of how much luck is involved, so while you could make millions, you might have better odds with the lotto or going to Vegas.
6. StarCraft
Are you really good at chess, but want to use those skills to actually make money, try one of the StarCraft games. I'm only mildly joking, as some StarCraft players have actually compared the two from a real-time strategy concept, so the skills somewhat translate between the two. That said, to be a millionaire in this game, it's going to take having a supercomputer processor in your brain, but it's definitely doable with multiple million dollar prize pools.
5. Call of Duty
The king of video game console shooters, Call of Duty is the best way for a console gamer to become a millionaire. Whether you prefer Sony's PlayStation or Microsoft's Xbox, Call of Duty is a staple franchise that has a global following with millions of players and hundreds of tournaments. This is another game where you are going to need to get a squad together, but once you get a team that plays great together, there is some serious money to be made for the whole team.
4. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO)
If Call of Duty is the king of the console shooters, then CS:GO is the king of the computer shooter, and it is good to be the king. Counter Strike has developed a large following over the years, and that following has helped organize tournaments all over the world. Since these tournaments are mostly online, you can earn money from the comfort of your own home, but if you wanna try to get rich quick, you'll need to travel to with a team to the big money tournaments nationwide.
3. League of Legends
League of Legends, and most other multiplayer online battle arena games (MOBAs), tend to have a bunch of players who have created an economy all their own. This means that their is a bunch of money to be made by players, either solo or in teams, in tournaments for either Rune Points (the in-game currency) or prize money. Multiple players have broken the million dollar career earnings mark, with the top players coming closer and closer to earning a million annually.
2. Minecraft
Now I know what you're thinking, "How do I make money playing Minecraft," well there are multiple ways. As with most of this list, the YouTube/Twitch route is a great option, with Minecraft finally being dethroned for the top concurrent views for a game by Fortnite this year, but Minecraft also has opportunities to build and design worlds and mods that people pay to play on the server thanks to things like Buycraft, an online store where you can easily sign up and sell digital products that interface directly with your server, and Enjin, a plugin software that can make a standard server much more complex for the players. Be aware, however, maintaining a servers comes at a cost, and requires a really great computer.
1. Dota 2
According to Business Insider, the top ten highest earning gamers of 2014, all of which earned over a million dollars, all played Dota 2. In 2018, all of those numbers have increased, with the upcoming version of "The International" (Dota 2's top tournament) already close to a $20 million prize pool, which is nearly double the 2014 prize pool of $10,931,105. The rest of the games on this list have somewhat limited odds of earning a million dollars, but of the top 50 highest earning gamers, one doesn't play Dota 2, a League of Legends player known as Faker, which shows just how money people can potentially make millions in this game when they get good.