StartPlaying: Make Real Money Playing Games

What is StartPlaying?

StartPlaying is an online fantasy game site that enlists freelance game enthusiasts to become “game masters,” setting up quests, managing participants and moving the game along.

How it works

There are few rules to register as a game master. There are obviously no education or licensing requirements. What you need is basically a great imagination and organizational skills.

However, the site provides a variety of tips to boost your chance of success, including suggesting that you write a detailed profile of both you and your game. You should note whether your games are combat-heavy or light-hearted. Are you a stickler for the rules and accomplishing a mission, or are you likely to let the game morph based on player responses?

The more detailed your descriptions, the more likely you’ll find players who suit your style. That increases the chance that they’ll become repeat players and will review you highly. Naturally, that’s a key to success.

StartPlaying review

It’s hard for us to find fault with a gig that involves playing games you’re passionate about for pay. But StartPlaying makes it even more attractive by giving you tips for success, as well as complete freedom to set us you games as you like, choose the number of people who can play, and set your own rate for a seat at your table.

The site hosts a litany of fantasy games, ranging from Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu, Vampire, Warhammer and Cyberpunk Red. Gamemasters decide what games to host; when to host them; how many people are needed to start; the maximum number that can join; the game’s theme and quests; as well as other details. It’s a dream job for anyone into online roll-playing games.

Side gig, not full-time work

That said, while this site can help you find a community and paying clients, it is not likely to make you rich. Only a relative handful of StartPlaying’s Game Masters manage games full time.

Most of the Game Masters here use the platform as a side hustle, earning between a few hundred and a few thousand dollars a month.

However, hourly rates can be generous. Claire Haupt, who goes by ClairetheDM, says she earns roughly $42 per hour, including preparation time. Katie Porter, estimates her pay at nearly $50 an hour. However, since games are generally a free-time activity, neither works at this full time. Porter is a voice teacher by day; Haupt is an event production manager.

“Unlike Twitch, there is no way to become the ultimate whale here,” says Devon Chulick, 34, co-founder and Chief Operating Officer. “No one Game Master has a monopoly on clients.”

That said, popular game masters don’t appear to have any trouble filling their 5-6 person tables at rates ranging from $5 to $25 per chair. And many offer weekly games, generating regular income.

Pay

StartPlaying takes a 10% commission from GM revenue. Payments are made into GM accounts within a day of completing a session.

Recommendations:

If you love playing imagination games, StartPlaying is a great place to launch a side hustle as a game master. The site’s 10% commission is reasonable. And StartPlaying advertises heavily on social media to recruit gamers. It provides a wealth of information on how to be a success.

We don’t know of any comparable opportunities. You can sign up with StartPlaying here.

The closest opportunity would be to launch a class on Outschool. Outschool is a non-traditional learning platform, which offers a wide array of classes, from academic to fun. It operates much like StartPlaying, in that you design the offering and they market it for a percentage of the revenue. The site has a variety of classes involving gaming, ranging from workshops to social clubs.

Want to sign up for StartPlaying?

Sign up here.

What their Game Masters say (from ProductHunt)

“Within a week of setting up my game on their website I had filled 6 seats. The website makes everything easy and safe for players and DM’s. I would recommend StartPlaying to anyone trying to make a career out of tabletop games or to any players who want a professional experience for their tabletop games.”

“Running a game master service myself, I’ve found great value in joining the StartPlaying platform. The scheduling, communication and booking features have been great and only continue to grow with a level of convenience I, as a small business owner, just cannot hit without a much higher price point. StartPlaying is a win for everyone involved.”

Upated 1/24/2025