Playing online is perhaps the favorite pastime for those born into the generations Y and Z (those born in the late 1980s and beyond). It all started with word games played in chatrooms. Later, as the ‘net became faster, and the computers stronger, the games themselves became more elaborate and immersive. Today, we have an amazing variety of games we can play online, covering every genre from crosswords and puzzles to shooters and role-playing titles. These games are most of the times ways to pass time – sometimes, in turn, they can become not only a steady source of income but ways to strike it rich. Like in the case of the three games below.
DotA 2 and eSports
Defense of the Ancients (DotA) started out as a modification for the popular real-time strategy / RPG title Warcraft III. DotA 2, its standalone sequel, has become one of the most popular titles played by professional online gamers around the world. The term “professional” is appropriate here, thanks to the emergence of competitive video gaming (eSports). DotA 2 has become not only a game but a way to make a living for some of its best players.
According to eSportsEarnings.com, DotA 2 has paid out over $94 million in prize money to date, from 673 major tournaments. The International 2016, one of the largest eSports events, had a prize pool worth over $20 million in 2016 alone. Saahil Arora (UNiVeRsE) is one of the highest-paid competitive players ever – his total earnings have exceeded $2.7 million since the beginning of his career.
Mega Moolah and the best of luck
If you live in one of the more liberal jurisdictions, you can start the fun at Vegas Palms online casino with $/€100 free. Playing at the Vegas Palms is not just a way to have fun – if you are lucky, it can turn you into a millionaire, too. The Vegas Palms has several exciting – and potentially generous – games in its library. One of them, called Mega Moolah, has a history of making millionaires.
The largest win ever recorded on Mega Moolah happened in October 2015, when a lucky UK player took home a jackpot worth over £13 million (about $20 million at the time). This was an especially large win that happens quite rarely – but smaller payouts worth several million occur on Mega Moolah several times a year.
Entropia Universe
Last but not least, let us mention a game that combines in-game currency and real money in a unique way. Entropia Universe is an RPG set in a virtual world currently consisting of six Planets and the space between them. What makes it unique is that its in-game currency, called PED (Project Entropia Dollars) can freely be redeemed into US dollars at a fixed rate of 10 PED for $1. PEDs can be purchased in real life or made inside the game: by collecting and selling various resources, selling skills, completing missions, and the selling of virtual properties inside the game. This is where the big money can be made: actor Jon Jacobs sold his in-game property “Club Neverdie” for $635,000 in 2010.
