The app provides players with skills-based, in-game challenges called MoneyMatches, and free-to-play tournaments with real cash prizes.

“Skrmiish is an app that allows gamers to monetise the hundreds of billions of matches played across AAA games every year,' Heaton explains.

We spoke with Chris Heaton, co-founder and managing director of play-to-earn app Skrmiish, to find out more about this. Opportunities abound, even for those who are not professional players. eSports tournaments can prove lucrative for professional video gamers, while platforms such as YouTube and Twitch, when used to create a following, can generate millions for gaming influencers. Many a parent has bemoaned their child's gaming as a waste of time and money, but game suppliers are not alone in coining in on gaming’s popularity. As of last year, the global video game industry was valued at $196.8 billion (roughly R3,615 billion), according to Newzoo, a world leader in video game market research – placing it at double the value of the global movies and entertainment industry.

How to earn money playing online games