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Browse Buff's collection of helpful blogs as we explore gameplay tips and tricks from the pros, review and recommend the latest games, and take an inside look into loyalty gaming and earning rewards.
Rewards5 Legitimate Income Streams for Minecraft Players in 2023 Minecraft is one of the longest-existing games in popular game culture, and it has really seen it all.
From its start in 2010, when Mojang first launched the game, all the way to Microsoft's acquisition of it for $2.5 billion in 2014, Minecraft has had an incredibly vibrant history. This led to it being the most-sold game in history, with about 100 million monthly active users still going strong.
With all of that passion coming from the community, it should be no surprise to anyone that there are multiple opportunities to make an income from being a Minecraft player or fan.
» Earn free rewards while playing Minecraft
1. Livestream Your Gameplay on Twitch or YouTube
You're already playing Minecraft, so why not live stream it to an audience? There are tons of Minecraft streamers and content creators on Twitch and YouTube who are making a killing doing so.
Livestreaming on Twitch gives you a bunch of different ways to make money if you can generate enough of a following. Twitch subs, donations, and advertising are all ways to earn from the content you create. With a free Prime Sub, you just need to be your viewers' favorite for the month, and they can support you with a click of a button. If you really start to hit it big, you can earn even more with brand sponsorships and opportunities to sell merchandise to your followers. YouTube offers a bunch of the same revenue streams with YouTube Gaming live streams, but there's also the added benefit of capturing your viewers on the platform to view your VOD content. Dream is one of the best examples of this, as one of Minecraft's biggest and most successful creators with loads of VOD content on YouTube.
To get started, there are two things that are paramount to building your initial audience: engagement and consistency. Have a clear schedule set up for yourself and communicate that schedule to potential viewers on your profile. You want to start creating a loyal audience that enjoys your content and knows when they can come to view it. And to make them feel connected to you and your streams, you have to engage them. Always pay attention to your chat and make sure to respond and react to messages passing through.
» Looking to stream other games too? These are the most watched games on Twitch now
2. Join the Minecraft Partner Program
The Minecraft Partner Program is an awesome creative platform. If you are accepted, you can make a variety of in-game worlds and assets to be sold on the Minecraft Marketplace. To qualify, you will be expected to express your creativity and love for the game with a strong portfolio of high-quality content previously shared with the community (e.g. maps, skins, realms, biomes, etc.).
Skins are a great place to start when it comes to creating Minecraft items and content that is likely to sell in the marketplace. People are always looking for a way to better represent their characters, especially for a game as centered around creativity as Minecraft. So if you can create a character skin that can really resonate with players, they are bound to want to put it on.
3. Host a Minecraft Server
Hosting a server is another great way to make an income, and this is something that has actually existed across the MMO space for a large part of its history. For some of our OG gamers who remember the MMORPG renaissance of the early 2000s, loads of games like Runescape, Everquest, Ragnarok Online, and even World of Warcraft had a strong community across a number of private servers. You can make income by:
Charging membership and access feesRunning a store, specific for your serverGetting set up with monetized streams of your server's gameplay.
While it's relatively easy to get a private server up and running, to get a Minecraft Server that players feel is worth investing their money into, you have to make it enticing. Adding the right mods and having a strong, active community are just some of the ways to go about it.
4. Construct Items, Buildings, and Maps for Other Players
While this requires a similar skill set to joining the Minecraft Partner Program, your "buyers" will be rather different. There is a number of people across the web that have a need for pro Minecraft builders to construct buildings, landscapes, towns, and even entire worlds for their game/servers.
Your customer base can vary—you may be hired as a builder for somebody's private servers, oftentimes themed requests (e.g. dragons and castles for a medieval-themed server), or even by some savvy businesses looking for new ways to get new clients.
The potential is pretty high when it comes to how much you can make by being a pro builder for hire in the world of Minecraft. But a great example that lays it out is this video from Mr. Beast. He hires Minecraft builders to see who could build the best Minecraft house for the best value, with the most expensive freelancer charging up to $16,000!
5. Create & Sell Minecraft Artwork
Creating and selling Minecraft artwork is an awesome way to make income. This is especially true for those who are super passionate about the game, but their talents and creativity lie more on the canvas than in the 3D block world. Whether it's oil and pastels or neon digital art, there is a huge market for Minecraft fan art.
There are loads of markets for superb artists to sell their works, whether that is digitally on sites like DeviantArt, physically at conventions and events like Minecraft Festival, or live streaming the drawing process on Twitch. Because of the variety of ways to make money on even just one piece of artwork you create, the earning potential for talented Minecraft artists is fantastic, especially as the game continues to grow.
If you are stump around what to draw, Creepers are one of the best places to start. While they are scary encounters for players in-game, they are absolutely loved by fans as merchandise, collectibles, and art outside of it.
» Want to earn rewards while playing your favorite games? Download Buff and learn how it works
RewardsApex Legends: How Does the Daily Shop Work?Regardless of the game, you're probably familiar with that great feeling of playing with your squad, using superior tactics and positioning, and eventually winning the game. But you know what's even better? Doing it in style! Plus, everybody knows that looking good makes you play better, especially when you're still new at the game.
So, instead of looking like a newbie with default skins, stand out from the rest with some of the amazing skins Apex Legends has to offer. After all, there are plenty of cosmetics for specific characters and guns. There are even unlockable dive trails hidden behind certain ranked achievements.
Most of those can be found in the Store, so here's what you should know about it.
» Learn more about Apex Legends
What Is the Daily Shop?
The Daily Shop, otherwise known as the Store, is a menu that you can access through the lobby. It allows you to purchase cosmetics by using Apex Coins, Legend Tokens, or Heirloom Shards. The Store also offers an alternative purchase method through the exchange of Apex Coins for items that can normally be crafted with Crafting Metals or found in Apex Packs. Finally, it also has Thematic Event items and Store-exclusive items.
Some of the sections of the Store include:
The Featured Section
The Featured section is basically the Store's homepage. It's always open and offers a wide variety of items that rotate each week. Some of the items that are offered at the time of writing are:
Solar Soldier Bonus Bundle for BangaloreOutland Explorer Bundle for WattsonDeath Row Bundle for RevenantFlying Warhawk Skin for Devotion
The Monthly Item Store
There's also a Monthly item store, which features deals that are available during the entire month. This month's offerings are looking pretty cool:
Dressed to Impress Skin for BangaloreArtic Blaster Skin for WingmanElectric Flux Skin for Triple-Take
Apex Packs
In the Item Pack section, you can purchase packs that essentially act as random loot crates. Opening a pack gives you 3 items, which have the potential to be the Legendary skin you've been wanting! However, that really depends on how lucky you are, so you also may not get anything you need or like.
The Mythic Store
Lastly, there is the Mythic Store, where you can purchase high-end Prestige skins and the Heirloom melee weapons for your characters. Each character gets access to their own unique Heirloom skin, which can only be attained through exchanging Heirloom Shards. At the time of writing, the Bloodhound skin is available in the Store.
» Learn how to get the Apex Legends Battle Pass for free
When Does the Store Reset?
The Store resets every Tuesday at 12:00 PM Pacific Time. For the Monthly and Daily rotations, these will happen at 12:00 PM Pacific Time, as well.
Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the chance that the skin you've been gunning for finally drops!
Can You Shop Without Being In-Game?
Sometimes, opening the launcher can be a pain if you want to just check out the Store and see if there's anything you'd like to buy later. Although there isn't a way to purchase items without being in-game, a great place to check what items are currently available in the Store is at Apex Item Store. You can see this information along with the full item breakdowns and the remaining time they will be available for purchase in the Store.
» Want to know how long you've been playing? See how to track your playtime hours in Apex Legends
Final Thoughts
The Store is the place to be if you want to spice up your in-game appearance, or if you simply want to see what is available out there. And if you don't want to log in, there are ways to check out what's on sale without starting the game.
Finally, by having Buff run in the background, you can be earning Buff Points just by playing games of Apex with your squad. And who knows, some of the Buff rewards you redeem may include precisely the cosmetics you've always wanted.
Rewards7 Best Twitch Games to Stream in 2022 to Make Money FastDisclaimer: we can't promise you the results, your earnings are based on what streaming platform you use and how well you market yourself and entertain people during your streams.
Streaming games on Twitch opens up a lot of opportunities to make some money while doing what you love—playing your favorite games. If you are considering streaming your games to an audience for some income, here are some of the most popular games to stream on Twitch to make some revenue.
» Want to see how pros do it? Check out 7 most streamed games to watch on Twitch
(Link to blog: 7 Most Streamed Games to Watch on Twitch )
1. Fortnite
As one of the most popular games of 2022, Fortnite is great for making some extra income. Boasting a huge 250 million average monthly players for the year, so far, the third-person-shooter game has broken records for its popularity. It's a free-to-play, family-friendly game that has some PvP and PvE game modes that are often the topic of conversation in school playgrounds and big streaming services.
Fortnite's game-play popularity certainly influenced how popular it became on Twitch. In 2020 more than 1 billion hours were collectively watched on Twitch alone, with more than 120 000 average viewers.
Fortnite had a massive peak in online streaming in 2018, then peaked again in 2020, and although the game has seen a steady decrease in popularity since then, it still reigns as one of the most popular games to stream on Twitch.
» Use Buff while playing Fortnite to earn free rewards
2. Grand Theft Auto V
GTA V has been released a total of 4 times across different platforms with various changes to graphics and gameplay on the newer releases. GTA V is a chaotic open-world game where you play as 1 of 3 characters in a grippingly dramatic storyline that involves love, guns, drugs, theft, and pretty much any other criminal activity.
GTA V comes to life when you join part of the role-playing community in the modding world with the FiveM mod or its counterpart, where you live your character's life for them. In GTA RP, you might find yourself being chased by real people playing cops after you've committed an in-game crime, or applying for a position to sell burgers at the BurgerShot. This virtual world is what makes GTA V super popular to stream on Twitch, and you'll find the most famous streamers have all dipped their toes into GTA RP.
3. Albion Online
Albion Online is a sandbox MMO RPG that boasts its ability to be highly cross-platform, able to run on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Linux, and GeForce Now. Its unique take on the MMO RPG genre is that you "write your own story instead of following a laid out path" and become part of a massive community that organizes huge-scale PvP battles. Another interesting feature of Albion Online is the player-driven economy, where items are crafted and sold by players with materials gathered by players.
Albion's Twitch success comes from being part of big community battles and being so readily available across different platforms. The most-watched Albion Online streamer at the moment, Fakturka, has an average of 2700 viewers coming to each of his streams.
4. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Counterstrike has been a popular title to watch since CS tournaments started in 2003, and after CS: GO came out a year after the official launch of Twitch, its popularity skyrocketed. CS: GO is a highly competitive round-based first-person shooter developed by Valve that inspired the popular game Valorant by RIOT games. The game is well known for its competitive scene, and birthed famous pro players such as Shroud.
Gaining popularity in a highly competitive shooter like this is quite tough in the streaming world, as you either have to be entertaining, or really, really good. If you think you've got what it takes to make some unique or professional content in CS: GO, its steaming popularity is still amazingly high.
» Get free skins while clicking heads
5. Minecraft
Minecraft is one of those games that just keeps getting better the longer it exists. Minecraft is at its core a sandbox survival game, but with consistent updates, mods, and its extremely creative community, the game's diversity keeps the game alive.
Because of how much you can do in the game, Minecraft remains an extremely popular game for streaming and content creation. Huge names like Mr. Beast, PewDiePie, and Jacksepticeye on YouTube have influenced this game's popularity. On Twitch, the top 10 Minecraft streamers all have over a million followers each, with Auronplay having over 14 million followers.
6. Dota 2
Dota 2 is one of the most popular MOBA games in the streaming world next to League of Legends, with a massive community centered around its competitive scene. Dota 2 is massively diverse in tactical options and opportunities, making it amazingly entertaining to watch.
Dota 2 matches tend to be quite long, so audience members tend to stick around longer to watch a full game. If you're entertaining or have great skills in the game, you'll be earning hype trains while you're playing in no time.
The top Dota 2 streamers have tens of thousands of viewers on the average stream, though admittedly most of them are Russian. If you can speak Russian though, there's a pretty good chance you'll find success on Twitch with Dota 2.
» Get rewarded for playing well. The better you play, the more rewards you can earn
7. Dead by Daylight
Dead by Daylight is a multiplayer thriller game that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. Popular streamers play the game on a casual level and have a lot of time to talk to their viewers, so you'll find a lot of success here if you're good at entertaining your audience. Many of the top streamers are hugely charismatic, and according to twitchmetrics.net, loads of the best DBD streamers are female.
» Ready to stream games on Twitch? Download Buff and earn some cool rewards while streaming
Rewards5 Pro Tips to Earn Money Streaming Your Gameplay on YouTubeYouTube has millions of content creators trying to make an income off of creating videos and streaming content, so you need to stand out from the rest to be successful. Having more followers and subscribers means higher chances of receiving donations and getting viewers to join your channel as members—where they'll pay a subscription to use special features when you're broadcasting live on the site.
» Already streaming your gameplay on YouTube? Run Buff in the back for some extra free rewards
1. Broadcast Consistently According to Your Content Calendar
It's important to have consistency in streaming content. Having a set schedule means the viewers who want to see your content know exactly when to show up to see you live. Sure, if your stream is shorter than eight hours, you have the option to save it as VOD that people can watch for a period of time. But the real entertainment is being able to communicate with your audience as a streamer, as well as interacting with your favorite streamer.
2. Produce High-Quality & Valuable Content
Yes, it's possible to stream with low-end rigs and equipment, but putting a little budget into a better microphone and camera (if you want to show your face) goes an extremely long way for your viewers. If you think about it, even if you're watching a stream at 480p, having clear sound makes it okay to watch, but bad sound even at 4k is just a bad experience.
Depending on your budget, you'll need to prioritize what you need to focus on to improve your stream quality.
Internet Connection: Do a speed test to find out what you're working with—at least 20Mbps up and down is a recommended speed for consistent streaming performance.Audio Quality: Test for background noise that comes through your mic. It's best to get a standalone mic, but first, check if you can change sound filters on your streaming software. Lighting: Get a decent ring light from Amazon—this will dramatically improve how well you appear on your video feed.
3. Personalize Your Content to Stand Out From the Rest
It's important that you bring something that fits your personality and character to the table, even if it's not entirely unique. For example, having a style of T-shirt that you exclusively wear while streaming can really make you more memorable. Here are some more examples:
Intros & Outros
Think of simple intros to use at the start of each video. It's usually a good idea to let your stream run for 5-10 minutes to let some of your audience hop on first before you start your intro. As for outros, keep it simple as well—"until next time, friends" works well, but try to find something that leans towards your personality.
Unique Catchphrases
Catchphrases can be a bit challenging, as they're something that best comes around naturally during your streaming career. If you have some catchy phrases you've been saying in the outside world, use them, but don't force them.
Custom Video Thumbnails
Stand out from the other streams with a custom video thumbnail. Bright colors and large text on your thumbnail work surprisingly well when trying to grab viewers' attention—combine that with a click-bait title, and you'll be seeing loads of traffic hitting your stream.
» Interested in more than just YouTube? Discover the best games to Stream on Twitch
4. Promote Your Videos Using the Correct YouTube SEO
YouTube is the biggest video platform worldwide, so you must know how to get your videos seen by millions of other content creators. Here are a few tips on how you can be found easier in the vast sea of content on YouTube.
Use Keywords: Refine keywords in your titles and descriptions to a potential niche market and you'll find more success.Use Tags & Descriptions: You only have 20 tags and 5000 characters to work with, so use the space wisely.Promote Your Channel:
Take advantage of other social media platforms. Monitor Analytics Closely: This will help you find your strengths and weaknesses in marketing your channel.
5. Interact With Your Viewers While Streaming
You shouldn't force conversations, but do chat with your viewers if they're communicating with you. One of the biggest highlights of being a streamer is being able to communicate with your audience, and doing so can keep them around for longer. It's okay not to respond to chat if you've got millions of followers and there are thousands of messages coming through per minute, or if the comment simply isn't worth responding to, but try not to ignore your chat completely.
» Want to get paid to play the games you love? Check out other ways to make money from playing games
RewardsP2P Trade—Buying & Selling In-Game Items for Real $$$The most expensive in-game item ever sold officially was a virtual planet called Planet Calypso, which was sold for $6 million in a game called Entropia Universe.
The planet in question is super lucrative and made over $400 million in the year 2010 with in-game transactions. This shows that people are willing to pay exorbitant amounts for rare in-game items, or things in-game that add benefit to the gameplay.
If you're lucky enough to have gotten a super rare item in a crate opening or a roll, then it's well worth considering selling the item for some real-world cash.
» There are more ways to make real money from playing games
How to Trade In-Game Items for Real Money
There are a few different ways to go about selling your items if you're feeling up for exchanging your rare goodies for some real-world cash. Some marketplaces are more popular than others, depending on the title of the game, and could result in much higher sales if you find the right place.
Trading via Steam
If you have a Steam game that has items that you can sell, selling via the Steam marketplace is by far the safest way to do it. There are a few prerequisites to setting up your account to be eligible to sell items on the marketplace:
Your account has to be non-limited (meaning you have to own a game worth at least $5 or have had at least $5 in your steam wallet). Your steam account has to be protected by Steam Guard (this involves 2-step verification with a cellular device) for at least 15 days.You need to have some funds available in your steam account.You need to own at least one marketable item.
If you meet these prerequisites, selling an item on the Steam marketplace is really easy.
Open Inventory in your Steam account.Find the item you'd like to sell, click on it, and find the 'sell' button under the item's description (If there's no sell button, the item isn't marketable).Check the graph showing previous sales of the item to set its price (when deciding on the price, keep in mind that Steam will take a small portion of the sale).Agree to the terms and services, and put it up for sale (if you haven't used your mobile authenticator for a week, your item will only be listed for 15 days).Check your email—you might receive an email from Steam requiring you to further authenticate the sale.
If you'd like to check the items you have listed, head over to the market under the community tab, and under 'My Active Listings' you'll find your item and its price. If it says your item is on hold—don't panic. Steam puts a delay on marketplace postings and trade items.
Trading via an External Marketplace
Trading via 3rd party marketplaces can be risky, and if you're not sure where to go, ask friends and other gamers, and double-check if that site is safe before going ahead with a sale of an item.
Keep in mind that these 3rd party sites often require you to log into your Steam account, and if you're at a malicious site, it could mean losing all of your accounts inventory. Be careful, especially if you have items such as CS:GO knives.
Considerations for Identifying a Reliable Marketplace
If you're having doubts about whether a site is legit or not, there are a few ways you can check up on the site's reliability.
Check if it has a trusted platform for taking care of its users, and google the reliability of the site and its methods.Make sure the site guarantees the safety of both parties' privacy as well as inventory security.Ask around or turn to Reddit to find out which sites are viable for what you want to sell.
BONUS: In-Game Items Commonly Favored by Buyers
Got a bunch of items and you're not sure what's good to sell or what people want to buy? Here are some tips on what to look out for when selling an item.
Accessories & Cosmetics
Most sought-after cosmetics are usually a high tier/rarity, or items that are from limited-time events. Keep an eye out for tags like 'Legendary,' 'Epic,' 'Factory New,' 'Limited,' etc. One game using such tags is CS:GO, for which we also compiled a list of its best weapon skins.
Equipment & Weapons
The best-selling equipment and weapons are those with the highest stats or best rolls. In Diablo 3, a player sold a weapon called 'Echoing Fury,' a mace that isn't that amazing but it had the highest possible rolls of that weapon, for $14000. It wouldn't be a surprise at all to see similar transactions happening in Blizzard's next release, Diablo 4.
Materials & Resources
Sometimes farming for materials is too much of a grind, so some players are willing to buy them on marketplaces. If you've got some spare useful resources or some shiny gems that you're holding onto, you might score some actual cash by selling them to other players.
Aside from trading, you can get your hands on passive income by playing your favorite games. Run Buff while you're gaming for some sweet free rewards.
