Many options exist for online gamers to make money whether you are an avid World of Warcraft player who just wants to make a little side income to cover game subscriptions or an entrepreneur looking to generate a full-time income. Millions of people around the world play online games, also known as massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), and these virtual online game worlds have created a real world money-paying market for in-game goods. Three common approaches to earning money on the online game market are discussed here. 1. The most straightforward method you could employ for making money is to play for in-game money to the exclusion of other game activities. Every game has some form of currency whether it is platinum in EverQuest II, ISK in EVE Online, or credit in Anarchy Online. Amassing an in-game fortune will provide you with a valuable commodity to other players. Customers can be found for your in-game currency within gaming community websites and forums, direct internet advertising, and many people auction their game wealth at eBay and Player Auctions www.playerauctions.com. You can also sell your currency to another company that specializes in delivering in-game currencies to players. Many of the companies that sell currency actively buy currency because it is how they get inventory. Such middlemen companies proliferate on the internet and can be easily found by doing a search related to your specific game. For example, a search for World of Warcraft gold will delivery many sites and ads from places that buy and sell the gold. An advanced method you could take for building more in-game wealth is to purchase a high-level game account. This would provide you with a game character that is powerful, capable, and has a great deal of access in the game world. A high-level account would let you collect more in-game money at a faster rate. Just like the real world, the more you have, the more you can get. 2. Another common method for making money from online games is to develop characters. All MMORPGs possess levels, which apply to the character that the player uses. A brand new character is a level 1 and would not have much in the way of abilities or market value. However, a much higher level character could be readily sold to people who want to start a game with a strong character that is capable of many fun activities in the game world. Popular games like Dark Age of Camelot, Guild Wars, EVE Online, and Ultima Online have active markets for accounts. In order to develop a character with attractive and marketable qualities, you should be very knowledgeable about the game you are working in so you will have the skills to quickly build a character that will sell at a good price. 3. A natural step beyond developing characters is to become an account broker. This is a profitable approach to the online game market and means that you will buy game accounts and sell them to other players at a profit. Using character development skills to boost the value of a bargain account can go hand-in-hand with brokering. To successfully do this, you must be experienced with the game or games in which you are dealing so you will know the traits of a good account. You will also need to research your market by regularly scanning the closed listings at eBay to see how much accounts are selling for. The Player Auctions site is another excellent place to research the going rates for various types of accounts. Knowing the market is essential for you to develop the ability to spot bargains. Buying an account at an undervalued price will allow you to sell the account at a profit. Once you have acquired an account to sell, you can list it for sale at eBay or other auction sites, or sell directly from your own website. Marketing the account with a detailed description of the accounts traits and assets helps to get a sale. Do not skimp on your marketing message. Prospective buyers will want to know exactly what they are getting before they spend a few hundred dollars. Game account brokering is a more advanced method for making money in this market because it requires research, time, and the willingness to take some gambles on an accounts potential value. Still, account sales are a significant portion of the online game market and can generate a good income for you if you know your game and what your customer needs. Whatever method you might use to make money from online games, you should always focus on a niche market that interests you. Find a place in the market where you have superior knowledge and it is not over saturated with competition, and you could be on track to join the many other successful business people in the unreal estate market. |
