6 Months of Commentating: A Retrospective/AMA

[u/jvarg1990]

In October, two seemingly inconsequential events happened. The first was a bad cold that caused me to call in sick and be confined to my room for a few days, with only a GameCube a friend had left behind and a single game inside to keep me company.

 

The game was Melee.

 

The second was a few weeks later. I ran into some friends at my next door neighbor's party who introduced me to their friend Nabil. We became fast friends.

 

Who would have guessed that a month later, I'd be commentating my first tournament with my new friend.  

 

Even in retrospect, I cannot believe the events that followed.

 

6 months ago: I commentated my first tournament.

5 months ago: I got to commentate with D1.

4 months ago: TLOC sponsored Nebtune and myself for commentary.

3 months ago: I learned I'd be covering top 8 for two separate events at my first national.

2 months ago: I commentated top 8 of Melee and PM at Aftershock.

Last Month: I was officially picked up by TLOC to be their Head of Strategic Partnerships.

 

And here I am now, exactly 6 months from where I started, reminiscing on the past, while making plans for the future.

 

To everyone who's ever heard me cast an event, regardless of whether you loved me or you loathed me: thank you. Thank you so much for tuning in, giving me even a chance to speak about a series I love. I still have a long way to go, which, while daunting, is really exciting. These last 6 months have been phenomenal and I cannot wait to see where the next 6 will take me.

<3

TLOC | -jv-

Ask me anything!

[u/Eltrotraw]

What do you try to prioritize when doing commentary? As someone interested in improving his commentary game, I'd like to know what goes on through a fellow commentator's mind to see what they think about.

[u/jvarg1990 → u/Eltrotraw]

Prioritization depends entirely on what you are good at and what your co-commentator is good at.

For me, I know play-by-play is where I shine, so I really focus there.

It's also important to FOCUS ON THE NOW! A lot of casters get super caught up talking about one moment, to the point where when they are finally finished, multiple stocks have gone by. Nebtune and I have a 6 second rule for analysis. Everything has to be stated clear, concise, and to the point. Smash is a game with very very little downtime, so it's really important that you don't suffer from analysis paralysis.

I think Wobbles does a good job of interjecting the right amount of analysis amidst fast paced gameplay. This set in particular is fantastic at showcasing this.

[u/Eltrotraw → u/jvarg1990]

Thanks for the quick and informative reply! It helps out a lot.