see more from Make Money

This New Video-Game Freelance Marketplace Pays Gamers to Play

Adam Hardy

by Adam Hardy

Contributor

Man playing video game at home. Sitting on the floor, holding joystick and playing video game with his dog
Miodrag Gajic/Getty Images

An online video-game marketplace is adding to the many ways gamers can make serious money from their hobby.

Gameflip recently announced the launch of “Gigs,” a freelance platform for gamers. It’s still in beta testing and works, in many ways, like other freelance websites. Users can create a free profile, write a bio with their experience or niche skills and then list their services for a price.

The platform offers “gamers a way to make money doing what they love,” says Gameflip’s Marketing Associate, Steve Caracappa. “Experienced gamers can teach new players strategies and techniques to help them improve or play dedicated roles in groups to assist lower-level players.”

Buyers can search through an index of those services, and choose what they need. When a purchase is made, Gameflip takes 20% of the listing price as a fee and gives 80% to the seller, almost identical to the fee structures of most other freelance platforms.

The gigs available during the beta test are split into four main categories.

  1. Carry

    In gaming lingo, “carries” are the allstars. They’re so good that they carry their team to victory. This gig is for people who have serious competitive skills and can help other players rack up wins.

  2. Coach

    Coaches show new players the ropes and get them familiar with basic verbiage and objectives, or they can teach complex strategies to people trying to up their game.

  3. Create

    This gig is for video-game related services. Graphic designers can sell logos and artwork that serious gamers can display on their Twitch streams and YouTube channels, while programmers can code bots for Discord (an instant-messaging app geared toward video games).

  4. Entertain

    Entertainers don’t necessarily have to be good at games to get paid. If they’re funny enough, people will pay to play with them. And sometimes, people just need a healer to balance out a team. No one likes to play healers.

According to Caracappa, changes are to come after the beta test later in 2019.

Is Gameflip Legit?

For years, gaming enthusiasts have used Gameflip to buy and sell video games, in-game virtual items, gift cards and more through a bustling marketplace that boasts more than 3 million users. The company strives to position itself as a serious contender to GameStop.

The new Gigs feature introduces yet another way to make money playing video games. And as with most online marketplaces, that opens more opportunities for scammers. The platform is run by users with aliases who have been screened on the backend by Gameflip via linked bank accounts and/or government IDs.

Because funds and bank account information are stored on the site, users need to be extra careful with their personal information, never sharing passwords or usernames with anyone.

Pro Tip

Be sure to check the website address before logging on. Scammers create fake websites that look real. When you try to log in on their fake websites, they steal your username and password information.

To curb trading scams, the company implemented a Gameflip Guarantee, which “protects both buyers and sellers with a 100% cash-back guarantee,” Caracappa says. “Until the buyer agrees that the transaction was completed successfully, the funds are held in escrow.”

Potential scams aside, the website itself is a legit side hustle opportunity for gamers. In a Twitter thread, Gameflip asked how much their users save or earn on the site. Some reported $100 here, $1,000 there. Others use the site to pay off their student loans.

While Caracappa says a “completely overhauled platform” is on its way, getting in early during the beta has its perks: 10% cashback on all gigs, up to $1,000.

Adam Hardy is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. He specializes in ways to make money that don’t involve stuffy corporate offices. Read his ​latest articles here, or say hi on Twitter @hardyjournalism.