I've been reading and hearing about people actually GETTING PAID playing Minecraft. I've been playing for a long time and I want to get my cut too. But how are people doing it?
Make sure you're a big donator on a big server. Offer to sell people donator items at a discounted price for real money. You can sell in game money to players as well. Or, you can make a mc channel and get a partner. However, I would not recommend YT as it is flooded with mc channels. The only way to get out in the open is by supplying really original content which know one has thought of.
The only way you could gain money by playing Minecraft is by becoming a very big Machinama Artist, such as the Yogscast and Captain Sparkles, and getting a partnership with Youtube. By being a partner, you will gain income from people who watch your videos. You could also create skins and texture packs and post them on Planet Minecraft and other Minecraft related sites.
Make mods, texture packs, servers, then publish it on the Minecraft Forum. If you have a credit card, supporters will be able to donate to you and you'll be able to make some money. I'm not sure how to make it so they can donate to you.
You could make Youtube videos. Partners get paid for the views that they receive. It would take a while and a little bit of luck though. Just be sure you follow Google's very strict guidelines though.
If making money by playing Minecraft was that easy, then everyone would be rich! The most common way is probably creating mods/maps and having a donation link for Paypal or something. Another is being a famous Youtuber, but not everyone gets that spot.
You could make some minecraft videos and get partnered to make some money. Although there is a lot of minecraft channels out there, so you will have a hard time getting views and subscribers.
The thing about doing videos is there are a million people already doing them.. you have to be unique and offer unique content or cover something nobody else is covering.. just being an average Joe and talking while you are playing is not going to get you viewers.
Trying your luck at streaming on Twitch.TV is another option. Minecraft is a decently popular game with a consistent viewer base, so you might be able to find a way into that market. But again, that's a difficult route and if you're lucky enough to finally get established, it'll be a few months off. But making consistent videos and developing a constant stream time would probably be the best way to make some money off Minecraft. If only it were easy to make money playing video games!
Yes. Youtube, and other streaming services may partner with you (if you're entertaining). However, if you're looking to turn into a "professional" Minecraft player in the vein of DotA or LoL; I'm afraid such people don't exist.
Youtube/Twitch, those are the best options for you. You can also write guides for a website and get money off of revenue from it.
Well, according to the hundreds of Minecraft streamers/YouTubers that make thousands pretending to be funny in front of immature children--yes. You can also be a server owner and make a decent amount of money off of that. A large portion of the Minecraft community are children, and it's easily to make money off of children if they get something they see as good in return.
The only thing I know to get money from online by playing Minecraft is uploading videos in Youtube and get partnered by Machinima or Polaris. Or stream using Twitch.
Playing video games for a living sounds like a miracle. Some people actually do it, but they are usually very interesting people to begin with (You know, people that other people want to sit and watch for hours.). As with any 'business', I advise you start out with a small investment and start streaming on Twitch and making youtube videos. Invest in a headset, quality camera and computer to start. Later you can add whatever you want, something unique that makes people want to keep watching. Hard work is how you get anything, and that involves playing video games, such as League of Legends champions, or what used to be Starcraft pros.
Making youtube videos, and if it's one of the options available to you i n the game, selling content you have made. Other than that, I wouldn't know how to make any money with the Minecraft game; only how to spend it.
The only way I know that you could make money playing Minecraft would be betting tournaments or a sponsored YouTube channel so you could generate ad revenue. You need to look into both of these because they both can be complicated. Good luck!