Top 10 Video Games That Can MAKE YOU RICH!
Those looking to fill their wallets and pay their bills would do well to listen. Welcome to http://WatchMojo.com and today we're counting down our list for the top 10 Games That Can Make You Rich.
Special thanks to our user “Dan Paradis” for suggesting this avant-garde topic using our interactive suggestion tool at http://WatchMojo.comsuggest
Top 10 Games That Can Make You Rich
Those looking to fill their wallets and pay their bills would do well to listen. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’re counting down our list for the top 10 Games That Can Make You Rich.
Here we’re taking a glance into the world of professional and paid gaming, with an emphasis on games that are well-known for being financially rewarding. We’re particularly looking at games where a person can be paid through tournament play, YouTube video production, streaming or some combination of the three.
#10: “Rocket League” (2015)
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Apparently soccer played by rocket-powered cars is big business. At least, that’s our take on “Rocket League”, which has offered tournament players over $100,000 in prize money since the game’s 2015 release. Psyonix, the game’s developer, even began their own annual Rocket League Championship Series – with the 2016 finals offering a prize pool of $55,000. That’s before getting into the game’s popularity on Twitch, with thousands of viewers still tuning in to matches. It’s hard to imagine such a consistent and substantial amount of viewership not turning a profit at some point.
#9: “Smite” (2014)
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Showing up amid the rise of multiplayer online battle arena games, the mythology-inspired arena action of “Smite” has enraptured many a fan. This has resulted in the game becoming increasingly viable as a source of money, particularly in the eSports scene. The official Smite World Championships held in 2015 and 2016 each offered prize money totaling at least $1 million, with the 2015 Championships standing out by offering a $2.6 million prize pool. Further, it’s reported that competitive “Smite” players signed on with certain organizations also receive a salary for play, which increase as they win matches.
#8: “Call of Duty” series (2003-)
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Activision’s premier military shooter franchise is unsurprisingly good for giving dedicated players quite the payout. Those teams who manage to win the annual Call of Duty World Championship, hosted since 2013, regularly walk away with $400,000 or more in prize money. Don’t fret if you’re not interested in the competitive scene, though; streaming “Call of Duty” games is just as profitable, if not more so. Notable “Call of Duty” streamers such as Artemis have reported regular donations of up to $2000, on top of getting a portion of subscription fees from Twitch.
#7: “Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft” (2014)
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Cards, fantasy and a clear embrace of competition – the ingredients needed for a quintessential cash cow. Players of “Hearthstone” have partaken in hundreds of tournaments since launch, the result of which being millions of dollars paid out via prize pools. Both Blizzard and various other companies like the International e-Sports Federation have hosted notably high-paying tournaments for “Heroes of Warcraft”. It’s even said that, in 2014, fifteen people were able to earn more than the US federal minimum wage entirely thanks to tournament play. Factor in partnerships garnered thanks to the game’s rising profile, and thus it’s clear how so many teams can afford to keep playing.
#6: Jumpscare Porn
Fear and facecams, that’s where the money’s at. Emerging with the release of survival horror games like 2010’s “Amnesia: The Dark Descent” and 2013’s “Outlast”, this trend of YouTube content creators reacting to “scary” material has become a genre in itself. What’s more, it’s an incredibly popular genre; for instance, videos centered around the “Five Nights at Freddy’s” franchise regularly exceed 1 million views. Whether the videos have players slowly progressing through jumpscare-laden levels or expressing anger and frustration at constant in-game deaths, horror games seemingly rake in a lot of revenue for YouTubers.
#5: “Counter-Strike: Global Offensive” (2012)
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The fourth game in the main “Counter-Strike” series, “Global Offensive” has delivered to its players financial success in the realms of video content and professional play. Reports suggest that the audience for “Global Offensive” streams makes up approximately 10% of the total player base, averaging more than 60,000 concurrent viewers. This has allowed players like summit1g and JoshOG to make Twitch streams of the game their day-to-day work, also garnering them sponsorships in the process. Additionally, the mix of third-party and Valve-hosted tournaments for “Global Offensive” has ensured that over $23 million has made it into pro-gamers’ hands.
#4: “StarCraft” series (1998-)
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Though the three-part release of “StarCraft II” brought the games’ popularity to their peak, the “StarCraft” games have been quite profitable from the start (xref). Beginning with the 1998 release of “StarCraft” and its expansion “Brood War”, Blizzard’s sci-fi strategy saga has been vital to the development of the professional gaming scene, especially in South Korea where the game is unofficially considered a national sport. “StarCraft” tournaments have paid out more than $20 million in prize pools over the years, and stories have abounded of notable players declaring annual earnings of over $200,000.It’s safe to say if someone wants to make money playing a strategy game, “StarCraft” is the way to go.
#3: “Minecraft” (2011)
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Notch’s block-based sandbox game remains beloved by many, though for some the appeal lies more in the seemingly limitless content creation potential. Multiple reports point to “Minecraft” being among the top 10 most viewed and most popular games on Twitch, with over 100 hours of viewership for streamed content. The income raised from ad revenue and subscribers is undoubtedly high, enough to build a career out of it. YouTube video producers have also found success with “Minecraft”, explaining the occurrence of stories like Jordan “CaptainSparklez” Maron’s decision to buy a $4.5 million house over Sunset Strip in Los Angeles.
#2: “League of Legends” (2009)
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Riot Games’ “League of Legends” has seen several international leagues and championships started in its name, boasting fairly large prize pools to boot. This has had the benefit of providing competitive gamers and their teams with high payouts ranging from $200,000 to $5 million. But that isn’t the end of the story; rather, tournaments are just one means of earning money from “League of Legends”. Pro gamers specializing in this MOBA have also secured income through plenty of sponsorships and website partnerships, selling their own merchandise and even wages paid by their teams.
#1: “Dota 2” (2013)
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Valve sure does know how to produce a money maker. Just in prize money, “Dota 2” has seen more than $80 million doled out across hundreds of tournaments and championship games. Then there’s the streaming side of things; according to an August 2016 report, “Dota 2” was the most viewed game on Twitch at that time. With the prospect of Twitch Partnerships, paid subscriptions and ad revenue, this translates into a great deal of money for streamers. Finally, estimates by eSports journalist Andrew Yatsenko place the potential salary of a professional “Dota 2” player at over $15,000 per year, not counting sponsorships or pay raises.
Do you agree with our list? What games do you feel can make you rich? For more profitable Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
