Getting paid to play video games might sound too good to be true, but there are several tools out there to help you rake in some dough with a mouse or gamepad in your hand, including a new affiliate program from Twitch.
Launching next week, the program is aimed at the vast majority of gamers who have Twitch streaming channels but not enough followers to become a Twitch partner (the people who can fine-tune their monetization tactics to make a living from streaming their gameplay). Twitch, which is owned by Amazon, estimates that the new partner program will be available to "tens of thousands" of users.
Those who fit the criteria will receive invites to join; there's no need to sign up. To be considered, you'll need to have 50 or more followers and have broadcast at least 500 total minutes on at least seven of the past 30 days, with an average of three or more concurrent viewers. At launch, the only monetization tool in the program will be "cheering" (sending animated emotes that viewers can buy), although more tools will arrive in the next few months.
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Of course, Twitch's decision to broaden the categories of users eligible to make money from their streams is likely to upset some existing partners, many of whom have worked for years to build up their followings in order to sign exclusive revenue contracts. So the company is taking pains to differentiate the affiliate and partner programs: partners will get verified badges and early access to new features, among other exclusive benefits not available to affiliates.
Beyond cheering, Twitch said affiliates will eventually have access to subscriptions, game commerce programs, and advertising.
Meanwhile, if you're not up to putting in the work required to build a Twitch following, you can still get paid (albeit a lot less) to play video games with rewards programs like the recently announced Razer zVault. Just don't quit your day job.
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