EPTI didn't think I'd make this into a blog, but for some reason I just couldn't resist writing this. I really don't want this to sound like a rant, since I know this is only my view and opinion - I doubt any caster is even going to look it it. Yet, I feel I have to talk about this.
Background
First off, I think that for the purpose of this article I have to give you some background information about how I got into SC2.
At this point, most of you would probably be expecting a story about watching some MLG, or getting hyped by friends who play this game, or something of the sort. Perhaps, given the title of this blog, you'd assume I started playing because I got hooked to the game after listening to some amazing casters casting a game of Starcraft II.
In reality, the first thing that attracted my notice were the songs.
I mean, I knew about the game itself earlier, but I never actually considered switching to it. Yet, at some point at fall 2012, around 1.5 months before the end of my first semester, I was randomly browsing Youtube, and heard this song. As it was cool, I looked for some similar songs, and stuff like this and this made for some really nice listening. Soon, I watched a few player streams casually, and realized this game is actually pretty fun. That was all a bit after I finally quit my last semi-competitive game, HoN, putting my two 1900 MMR accounts on the selves (or 1700 MMR, since I quit right after a reset).
Soon I ordered up the game, and the rest is history (or at least, unrelated to this blog).
The main point of this - me getting into the game didn't include any casters, or listening to any SC2 of them. I must also say I never played BW out of single player, so I never followed any casted games there and had no knowledge of RTS casting, or how it is.
After a bit, I watched my first SC2 tourney on Twitch. Back then I was quite bad at sc2, only still learning the basics. I hardly knew a new openings, not even talking about understanding the depth strategy or being able to rate the players' position based on their resources, positioning and so on. Back than, I was just watching the tourney, enjoying the the view, trying to remember some strats, and expanding my game knowledge slightly (mainly analysis and appraising of a players position).
As time went by, I started learning more about SC2. And I'm mainly talking not about my own builds and execution - after watching many and many live games, pro gamer streams, and tournie series, I started being able to see familiar patterns, making it possible to appraise which player has an economical advantage, or a timing attack, who's actually a bit behind or a bit ahead, and so on. Of course, my knowledge isn't game breaking, but I think I watched around 1,500 or so games up til now, that's counting pro gamer streams, big tourneys and so on. So, around 2 month ago, I could pretty surely say I could understand a game I watched and be able to conclude the players' position in the game pretty well, based on the many dozens of somewhat similar games I've seen and on my general knowledge. I'm pretty sure there are thousands of other sc2 players or spectators who can say the same, and that'd be the truth.
Part One - WCS Ukraine
Alright, I'm gonna get a bit ahead of myself here, but lets first focus this prime example of what this blog is actually about.
I was watching brwosing Twitch oneday, when I noticed WCS Ukraine was on. Initially, I turned on the English stream, but I couldn't watch it for long (for the reasons I'll talk about in the next section). So, as I understand Russian (I'm actually a Ukrainian, though I don't live there anymore... long story for another time), I decided to watch the Russian stream.
When I switched there, they were on a break between games. The atmosphere was a bit different than the English stream, but I really didn't find it anyhow preferable (or not preferable) to the English stream. Then, the game started, and this is when i suddenly felt the main difference - few things were missing. There was no overacting. There was no"politically correct" bullshit.
The casters basically said what they saw, what they understood. If the zerg went for Roach-Hydra to try to stop the toss immortal push, they didn't express 40 seconds of fake surprise for a strategy just because it's not seen every 3rd game - they basically told what it means, why it's good, and what might be the followups for each player if the Zerg holds the push. If the game was clearly won (aka, 100 supply zerg vs a pushing 120 supply toss with a completely superior tech, or one player having a huge advantage elsewhere), they didn't say sly bullshit like "this is looking very grim for the zerg, he's gonna need very good fungles to hold this" but they basically said "well, the zerg is dead" and moved on to talk about what he should've done, instead of meaninglessly over-hyping an already decided game for extra 2 minutes.
Part Two - Pro's
This is also something that happens, to an almost similar degree, when a pro-player is casting a game. He's usually going to give his true opinion, without trying to overhype the shit out of every little detail, and he's also going to say it like it is.
One good - and what's also important, recent - example is Grubby co-casting the ForGG vs MC game today at IEM - he basically said something no English professional caster would say: "I don't really like MC's opening. I respect it, but personally, I don't like it." Later that game, MC gets crushed by ForGG's Hellion drop, which Grubby specifically states is so strong versus what MC was opening with. Grubby reveals he actually played a similar ladder game versus ForGG, with the same outcome.
Never the less, it was an example of a caster with game knowledge, actually saying what's really going on, and that actually went on. No fake over-hyping, overreaction, and so on.
You can observe this when Idra is casting games as well - basically, most active pro-gamers will cast like this, on the rare occasions they do cast.
On this note, I'll move on to the next part.
Part Three - Professional Casters
And here we come to the part about those who cast most of the games - the guys we hear the most, and those on whose shoulders lies most of the casting of every major tournament. I'm talking about the professional casters.
Those will include many, noticeable names like Day[9], Khaldor, Artosis, and others.
And here comes what I personally view as a flaw in most of those big name, established casters - their casting.
To be more specific, their casting is unlike anything mentioned in the previous paragraphs.
First, I must give them their props - they are sometimes entertaining (as in, make the cast more funny), and in most times sound enthusiastic. This is, however, where the list of pure positives ends.
First of, some casters simply don't display game knowledge. Now, for a single caster this isn't necessary a bad thing, but when a duo of casters lacks (or purposely refuses to display) game knowledge, the whole stream just becomes that more dull to watch - or rather, to listen to. You might as well mute them, put on some good music, and get more arguably better entertainment.
This also becomes worse when the casters display a lack of knowledge, either of the game or of casting in general. I'm talking about the times when something strategically important is happening, but the casters simply talk about unrelated (and much less important) stuff. Sometimes, the only way you even notice this is when the above mentioned plays are reflected on the minimap or production tab, so you know it's happening, but you don't see it at all, since the casters are talking about something else and the camera is there. There could be some intense micro battle of 2 mediveks +16 marines versus roaches/zerglings in the Zerg main, while a main battle was happening somewhere else. All you saw was a green dot moving on the minimap, and optionally some "oh, it seems like that greater spire was taken out" or "wow, apperantly there was a drop in the main" by the casters way after all the action has passed. The casters simply lack the multitasking to follow multiple battles, which is way lower than the actual multitasking needed to execute those moves. Mainly, bad game knowledge also translates into poor observing (though it doesn't guarantee good observing skills if you're good at the game).
Also, while this is also connected to the next part, they'd often say things like "wow, look how well X deflected Y's attack. He's definitely pulling ahead right now!" whereas you can clearly see he just deflected a single wave with relative cost efficiency, while his opponent still has a way better economy and/or tech. This is one example of either lack of game knowledge, over-hyping, or both.
Second, the overreacting, over-hyping, "political correctness", and all this type of bullshit. This one of the things that makes me, personally, tune off some streams.
I can't stand it when, for example, a zerg is facing the final push by terran, and not in a close situation, but in something completely unwindable (but that includes infestors and/or BL's and/or banelings). This is clearly a finished game, and anybody good can see it, yet the casters go on with the usual bullshit ("this is really looking grim", "he'll need great fungals", "he'll need very good baneling hits"), while the game is CLEARLY FUCKING OVER. I'm not talking about the close games - I'm talking about when that 140 supply Terran (with vikings, Thors, 3/3 bio and mediveks) comes to finish that 100 supply zerg with some lings/5 infestors/4 broodlords, and a just-rebuilt economy, which is still twice slower than the Terrans'. Oh, and with worse position. That game is fucking over, yet the casters keep acting as if the Zerg still has a chance, whereas it's been 3 minutes since the game has been decided (say, by a good engagement plus two different drops in the same time, to ravage the zerg eco and production).
This also shows in a lesser degree, acting like a single good engagement has suddenly make the player game that imaginable "momentum", and be in an advantage, whereas he hasn't been able to gain any ground and his economy is still worse - all he did is trade efficiently, which wasn't nearly enough at that point, thus he still lost.
You'll also see casters turn off HP bars because they're "ugly", while NEVER mentioning important facts based on HP (or not clicking over the low HP units in the strategically relevant times), thus simply leaving the spectator half-blind without making up for it with the casting.
Guess I could continue, but if you didn't yet notice all this yourself, you need to but take a look at said most recent games, and you'll see that's how the casting goes.
I don't know how it is in other casting scenes, but this is currently the picture of the English casting scene - and personally, I just don't like it.
So, I guess this is the end of this blog, and of my rant. It really has no point, since I don't realistically think any caster would change his approach on regard of what is written here - but I simply had to say this.
Happy discussion.
TL;DR
Don't comment if you haven't read all of this. The things I wrote are connected, for the most part. Read it. Or at least, if you give your opinion without reading, state so.
