Being a full-time gamer sounds like a dream job for many young people. It may even a dream job for some older folks as well. Managing money can get pretty complicated for the average person with a normal job. What makes this difficult for a gamer will depend on several factors. Some of these include what type of gamer you are, how you make your money, and how old you are. Let’s start with the type of jobs you can do as a gamer.
Types of gamer jobs
First, any type of gamer can be considered as self-employed. This is because a lot of the work is done by the gamer on a contractor basis. One of the jobs that a gamer can do is being a Youtuber. This means that thy film video of them playing games, giving games ratings, or other creative things and upload them to YouTube. This typically involves following a schedule and the gamer is paid in multiple ways like ad revenue, affiliate links, and brand deals.
Another type of gamer can be a fulltime streamer. This type of gamer live streams games and goes through a streaming service like YouTube or Twitch. These streamers get paid similarly like a Youtuber with little differences. Regardless of which type of full-time gamer you are, you will run into similar issues.
Money issues and management
Some of the common issues with money relate to contracts. When a gamer gets involved with an affiliate program they often just sign the contract without even thinking about it. This can be a bad idea. This is because a gamer can increase in popularity, and value, in a very short time. The contract hey signed then may not match how valuable you are as a gamer. It’s always best to have contracts looked at and make sure that you’re getting what you’re worth.
Taxes become another issue. Being self-employed means that you have may have to pay the self-employed tax as well as the income tax. This means you have to make sure that you’re putting enough back to pay for those taxes and not spending the money on senseless things.
Expenses are yet another issue that comes up. For a gamer, this isn’t that much of a deal. The common expenses that a full-time gamer will run into are buying games, upgrading their PC or flying out to tournaments.
So should you turn to something like self-employed loans to cover this expense? Not really, most games can be a part of brand deals and a lot of gamers receive free equipment. Expenses are not as difficult to manage because so much is covered by having the right deals.
Managing all that money
This can be difficult depending on a gamer’s age and maturity. If you’re not an adult and find yourself making a bit of money, then have a professional manage your money. You should do this even if you’re an adult. It’s a reality that gamers can hit an impressive amount of income in a short amount of time. When you pass a certain amount in income, then you’re going to need professional help from accountants and others to help manage all that money.
Now if you’re making a “normal” amount like around 40K to 60K thousand dollars then this is a lot easier to manage. Let’s say that you are in a Twitch affiliate program and bring in about 45K a year. You would just treat this like any other self-employed person. Put enough money aside, usually 30-35 percent, to cover your taxes and manage your expense.
Conclusion
Being a full-time gamer and getting paid is a reality. Many people from all walks of life manage to do it every day. Gamers come in various types but the two main ones are Youtubers and full-time streamers. Both get paid similarily and both have a wide range of incomes.
The money issues that games face are from expenses, deals, and taxes. A bad deal means losing out on a lot of money and paying various taxes isn’t really on the mind of most gamers. making taxes an unfortunate surprise for the unprepared. If you have expenses and you really need the money, then turn to self-employed loans.
Gaming is a very rewarding career both financially and personally. If you follow these tips then you shouldn’t have an issue with manging your money