‘Cha-ching!’ Meet one of Australia’s only professional female gamers – as the 26-year-old rakes in MASSIVE sums of cash just to let people watch her play online
- Natalie Acquisto, 26, who goes by ‘NatChats, has become an online sensation
- The Perth resident is Australia’s only partnered streamer with Facebook
- Went from being a makeup consulting to having more than 300,00 followers
- The star makes cash from follower’s interactions while playing COD and Fortnite
A former make-up consultant has revealed how she makes large sums of cash by playing video games online.
Natalie Acquisto, 26, from Perth, tried various jobs before deciding to make a change and turn her passion for gaming into a career.
The South African born star shot to fame as ‘NatChats’, her online gaming name, and is now earning big bucks in a typically male-dominated industry.
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Natalie Acquisto, 26, (pictured) who goes by ‘NatChats, left her job as a makeup consultant in Perth to become a professional gamer
Ms Acquisto said she had gained 20,000 followers after just three months and became Australia’s only partnered streamer with Facebook gaming
She is now followed by more than 300,000 people who pay to watch her play Call of Duty and Fortnite.
Ms Acquisto said she was surprised when her career took off so quickly.
‘It really did grow to somewhere I never thought it would be. I think it was scary to turn it full time (so soon) because it can also go very horribly wrong,’ Ms Acquisto told the West.
The South African born star broke into the male-dominated industry and now thousands pay to watch her game
She is now followed by more than 300,000 people who watch her playing online games Call of Duty and Fortnite
Despite gaining thousands of new fans, not everyone is happy about her decision to follow such an unusual career path.
Her dad, a typical old-school Italian man, always told her not to play games and urged her to pursue a more traditional career.
‘It’s very hard to explain to an older generation, they are just so set that you be an accountant. But generations are evolving. It’s 2020 there are new forms of income, new forms of technology, new jobs being created,’ she said.
Instead of making money through gaming conventions or through competitions or paid partnerships, streamers make money through interactions with fans.
The 26-year-old makes money while playing games from the comfort of her home (pictured)
Ms Aquisito makes her money from fans watching her play online.
‘So let’s say I’m playing a game and I do something really funny. There is a little star option and one cent is one star. So if someone sends you 100 stars, that’s $1 … but you are earning in US dollars, so the conversion to Australian — cha-ching,’ Acquisto said.
She also sells merchandise, and makes money off subscribers who pay $7 a month, although Facebook takes 30 per cent of the monthly earnings.
With around 700 subscribers, the 26-year-old gamer is making an estimated $41,000 a year plus donations.
She is also paid between $10 to hundreds of dollars per video per day.
With around 700 subscribers, the 26-year-old gamer is making an estimated $41,000 a year plus donations
The ‘NatChats’ avatar created for Ms Acquisto is the spitting image of her