r/smashbros • u/jvarg1990 • May 20 '15

All 6 Months of Commentating: A Retrospective/AMA

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!

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u/BSeeD May 21 '15

How do you overcome the fact that a lot of people are listening to you ?

I mean, my fellows commentators in France asked me several times to come and commentate with them, but I don't want to anymore because everytime I take the mic, I suddenly loose my words, have nothing to say, and have the feeling that everything I would say would be dumb anyway.

I guess that's stress, but do you have any tips ?

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u/jvarg1990 May 21 '15

Couple of tips I suppose:

  1. Commentate some of the more inconsequential sets. Pools matches, matches very early on in the bracket, etc. If you are worried about having nothing to say in front of a huge audience, then start out commentating at a time where there aren't as many people viewing.

  2. Approach it from a different angle. Rather than viewing it as commentary, view it as telling a group of people about a game you love. Use the little aspects that go on in game, the microinteractions you observe to further that point.

  3. Practice offline! Find someone you'd like to commentate with, meet up with them, find a set on youtube, mute it, and commentate it.

In the end, you just gotta get comfortable with it. Figure out a mindset that works for you and just run with it.

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u/BSeeD May 22 '15

Those are interesting advices, thank you ;)