Jobs/Careers you can't believe exist...

[ViperMan]

Ash and I were watching TV last night - TBS, where we mindlessly watch episode after episode of Big Bang Theory because I don't have enough money to do the things I want to do... 

Anyways, a commercial came on for an upcoming episode of "ELeague" - a video gaming competition...  Now, I play video games, I like video games, and I know of competitive... gaming... ...but even I can't grasp the concept of a SHOW about video game competitions.  And that's when Ash piped up and said, "I still just can't believe that, like, that's a CAREER..."  And she's right - some of these competitors have sponsors, they spend hours and hours a day practicing, playing online or with virtual competitors, and they make MONEY doing this stuff, via prize winnings, ad-revenue (often through video hosting sites like YouTube) and more.

Crazy.

So what other jobs or careers (or simply "ways of making money") do you know about that just boggle your mind...?

...and are you jealous that you aren't making money in those ways?! 

[ec_co]

it's way bigger than just that. in the last few years www.twitch.tv has become a mainstream geek TV show for watching gamers of all walks playing all types of games and getting paid. some of these live stream gamers are making thousands of dollars a month (the really high end guys that have marketed themselves well and play to their audience can rake in tens of thousands a month).

https://nowloading.co/p/how-much-money-video-game-streamers-make/4266946

[Burdar]

Just recently a gamer died from playing too long at once.  I guess he had a huge following on Youtube.  My wife gets mad at me if I'm on the Wii for an hour.

[HP_Cuda]

I want to know who pays them for gaming?

Wild, watch someone else play a game? Doesn't that defeat the purpose?

[ViperMan]

I want to know who pays them for gaming?

Wild, watch someone else play a game? Doesn't that defeat the purpose?

Last year, the video gaming industry hit 91 billion dollars, worldwide.

Video gaming has actually seen huge increases in revenue thanks to mobile platforms and social media.  Also, the extremely-popular "Steam" platform has made "indie" (small, independent developers) games and crowd-funding extremely popular and profitable, despite many games never being completed.

Also, other companies continue to thrive from the video gaming industry, with companies like Pepsi advertising products as being "for gamers" - it's all bullsh!t of course, but hey, whatever sells, right?

I've lately spent some time watching "Let's Play" videos where people demonstrate various games, as a lot of these indie games have extremely basic, incomplete or even out-of-date instructions and/or tutorials, so the best way to learn how to play is watching someone else - at least until I understand the basics.

Lastly, the YouTube user "PewDiePie" is best known for his "Let's Play" series of videos, where he demonstrates various video games of all types.  Gaming developers on an international scale invite PewDiePie to play their games on his YouTube channel, where he currently has 16 billion subscribers.  As a result, PewDiePie holds the title as YouTubes highest-paid producer - in 2015, he was paid 12 million dollars by YouTube, all through ad content.

He plays games.  He makes videos.  People watch them.  YouTube paid him 12 million bucks.

[6bblgt]

Wild, watch someone else play a game? Doesn't that defeat the purpose?

[ViperMan]

@6bblgt I think you just won the internet today... 

[ec_co]

@6bblgt I think you just won the internet today... 

LOL my same thought. we all waste time watching something - TV, sports, movies. why not watch someone play a game, it's actually kind of interesting. the surprising thing about Twitch is that a lot  of the money they make is through donations .... yes, donations ... from viewers. imagine you are watching Football and decide - Manning is doing good tonight, he's been entertaining, so I'm going to give him $10. this is exactly what is happening, except I've seen donations range from $1 to (I kid you not) a $10,000 donation once. people have money to throw away on entertainment and video games is a huge industry. look at games like World of Warcraft ..... 10 *billion* dollars in revenue .. http://www.gamerevolution.com/features/13510-world-of-warcraft-leads-industry-with-nearly-10-billion-in-revenue

[HP_Cuda]

Call me old school but I played football, golfed and even played in big poker tourneys but don't watch it much on tv.

Guess times are a changin.

Makes me wonder why they make commercials that tells kids to get out an hour a day. Heck when I was a kid you couldn't keep me from going outside.

[ViperMan]

Makes me wonder why they make commercials that tells kids to get out an hour a day. Heck when I was a kid you couldn't keep me from going outside.

Because cell phones...

I'm actually experiencing this problem myself, and I'm not winning.  My daughter (almost 5) comes home and all she wants to do is watch cartoons, and she'll watch them ALL NIGHT if we don't intervene.  Now, granted, she spends all day playing at daycare, so it's not like she's a 100% couch potato, but I also can't toss her outside when we get home because I have to clean the house, get dinner ready, etc., so I can't be outside keeping an eye on her.

[Moparman82]

 

The bottom got cut off, it says "our budget is 1.2 million" lol