Generate revenue from your Minecraft server through diverse payment methods.
With over 22 million copies sold, Minecraft has got to be one of the most popular video games of our time. Hence, running a Minecraft server can become a good business opportunity. Servers provide Minecraft players with exciting gameplay when it comes to building blocks, and offer them additional features like a built-in economy and minigames. These different components of the game can be monetized and generate income for server administrators.
However, setting up a server requires tremendous effort. Fortunately, there are platforms such as Buycraft and Enjin Shop that make the work easy. Buycraft currently supports over 100,000 Minecraft servers, while Enjin Shop is in use at more than 80,000 Minecraft communities. These platforms allow servers to sell community membership, in-game items and accept donations from players. They also support different payment gateways such as Paymentwall, and help servers accept payments made via credit cards, bank transfers, mobile payments, prepaid solutions and many more.
By offering different payment methods, Minecraft server administrators can maximize the opportunity to earn revenue from users. Below is one example of a checkout page from a Minecraft server that provides different payment methods through Paymentwall:
Example of a Minecraft server checkout page
Aside from credit cards, Minecraft users will be able to pay with bank transfers, gift cards or prepaid cards. This offers an advantage to server administrators as not all Minecraft users own credit cards. Some are underaged users and may only be able to use a gift card or a prepaid card to pay in the game. Paymentwall can offer Minecraft servers with over 140 payment methods in more than 180 countries. Server administrators will be able to accept payments from users wherever they are in the world.
For servers that were built using either Buycraft or Enjin Shop platforms, they can easily start using Paymentwall to accept payments without having to undergo a rigorous integration process. Server administrators using Buycraft just need to create a Paymentwall account, and follow these simple steps to get started. Similarly, servers using Enjin Shop only need to accomplish these procedures and set up a Paymentwall account to begin generating revenue.
However, Minecraft servers need to keep in mind that Mojang, Minecraft’s publisher, released a new End User License Agreement (EULA) that provides specific guidelines on how to monetize a Minecraft server. Here’s how you can comply with these rules without diminishing your server’s revenue generation:
Provide membership fees
Servers can charge players with access fees, as long as the amount is the same for everyone. Server administrators can implement single entrance fees, or even subscriptions for Minecraft players. They can even charge for timed access on game servers. Servers are allowed to charge players for access on a regular basis.
Accept donations
Administrators can still accept donations from players, as the proceeds will help in covering the costs related to running a server. However, servers should not give any preference to a player that has given a donation. If a player helps the administrator to reach a certain donation goal, the reward should be available to the entire server. One Reddit user suggested that a server can hold an item drop party where everyone in the server would get a useful item after a donation goal has been reached.
Offer cosmetic, in-game items
In-game items for sale should only be aesthetic, and should not affect the gameplay in any manner. Some of the cosmetic features that servers can sell include special hats, colored clothes, colored names, firework editor, particle trails and many more. The only cosmetic item banned by Mojang is capes. These are only given to the special members of the Minecraft community and to Minecon attendees.
Give access fees to mini games or mods
Fees can still be imposed on mini games or modifications. These features, however, cannot be designated to a specific part of a server, and charge players any additional fee aside from the initial access fee. What administrators can do is create a new server with mini games and mods, and charge access fees to that server instead.
Implement in-game advertising
Mojang allows servers to post in-game advertisements or use sponsorship. One way to earn money through advertising is to use incentivized ads. These ads require the user to complete a task in exchange for virtual currency. A task could include completing a survey, watching a video, or installing an application. For every completed task, the server gets paid by an advertiser.
Administrators of Minecraft servers can maximize their revenue by offering a diverse range of payment methods. They will be able to cater to a wider spectrum of Minecraft players worldwide, and even attract other game enthusiasts to join their server. In turn, they will be able to earn enough money to cover their operational expenses, and even invest in changes that will improve server performance and capacity. This will make them more competitive and attractive to other Minecraft users. What this results in is an endless cycle of growth for Minecraft servers. Through Paymentwall, server administrators can build their business, block by block.
Would you like to use Paymentwall to start earning money from your Minecraft server? Head over to our website to get started.