It's been a while since Kaci Aitchison did her last Q&A with the community, and we felt that it was time we heard from her again! We don't need to tell you that Kaci was a hit at TI3, or that she not only gave the broadcast colour but also made it accessible to a host of viewers who were new to Dota, just like her. After all, not every host can pull something like this off!
So what has Kaci been up to since we last met her? Stuff like this, mostly.
Today, however, the interviewer becomes the interviewee, as Kaci readies herself to answer the questions you throw at her. Gaben himself confirmed that Kaci will be at TI4, and now here she is, just months away from hosting the Dota tournament of the year for the second consecutive time. What will you ask her?
Kaci will return to TI4!
Before you jump in with your questions though, you may want to refresh your memory by watching this interview of her from TI3!
20 Questions
Want to ask something? We'll do it for you. Just post your question in this thread. Our editors will pick the 20 best questions from this thread and Kaci will answer them. The answers will appear in a separate thread, which will be linked below!
You were new to DotA at TI3 and showed great interest in learning more about the game. Has that continued through the year, and have you been playing any DotA?
Have you watched Free to play? If so what's your opinion about it and could it be something that makes dota bridge the gap to a more mainstream audience?
What does eSports as Dota needs to do better to encourage more and bigger sponsors to come into the scene? Hope we can meet at TI4 Keep doing a great job
On April 04 2014 01:18 TArujo wrote: Have you watched Free to play? If so what's your opinion about it and could it be something that makes dota bridge the gap to a more mainstream audience?
On April 04 2014 01:18 TArujo wrote: Have you watched Free to play? If so what's your opinion about it and could it be something that makes dota bridge the gap to a more mainstream audience?
I'm curious as to how much you have learned about Dota 2 since TI3. If I remember correctly, you mentioned that Pu[r]dge was coaching you through various questions as you had no idea what was going on. Do you think that you will need such coaching, or do you think you have enough knowledge about the game/scene that you will be standing more on your own there?
Silly question: What's your mmr and have you been working on your michael skills?
Serious question: With the growth of Dota ever-so increasing, how do you forsee American mainstream media and society re-acting to Dota and other e-sports titles gaining a larger foothold in American society?
On April 04 2014 01:18 TArujo wrote: Have you watched Free to play? If so what's your opinion about it and could it be something that makes dota bridge the gap to a more mainstream audience?
she watched it before ti3...
She even watched it before accepting to go to TI3, apparently.
Last year you ran a piece on TI3 on your channel after the event. Will you do another one before the tournament this year to get a bit of public attention (atleast in Seattle)?
Edit: Are you scared that your huge success from last year won't be a repeated this year? Any plans of what to do to keep it new and refreshing this year?
What is the most problematic issue with gaming communities in your experience? On the flipside, what is the strongest and most positive aspect of gaming communities in your experience?
On April 04 2014 01:29 nkr wrote: kaci is excited, but her cat surely isn't, lol
Don't care, I would still now his/her name!
But for more "serious" question In the TI3 interview with hot_bid you said, that your favorite player is Dendi. So have you followed a little bit of his streaming to keep up with him?
How does it feel to be so positively accepted into an entire new community? Do you think part of it has to do with yourself and your own personality? (Ex. Saying Michael skills and having it be a joke for a day and still smile about it) Were you determined to be a fan favourite? Because it clearly worked.
Does it daunt you that expectations of you are definitely much higher for TI4? Any particular preparation work for the coming TI? Reading up on heroes, watching more pro games, doing your research etc.
Hi Kaci, really appreciate what you have done in TI3! All the interviews you've conducted have been really great and it adds a unique flavor to the event.
My question is, what are your expectations about TI4? More specifically, what stories do you want to bring out to Dota 2 audiences watching on stream as well as the rest of the world in general.
Will you participate in a Dota2 showmatch played by commentators annalist and interviewers and commentated by players at ti4 and viewed by millions of people ? What role would you play ? Also what is you favorite Ice-Cream flavor ?
On April 04 2014 03:13 GabeN wrote: Hi Kaci, really appreciate what you have done in TI3! All the interviews you've conducted have been really great and it adds a unique flavor to the event.
My question is, what are your expectations about TI4? More specifically, what stories do you want to bring out to Dota 2 audiences watching on stream as well as the rest of the world in general.
Thanks!
Kaci's awesome and all, but what I wanna know is if this is really Gabe.
On April 04 2014 03:13 GabeN wrote: Hi Kaci, really appreciate what you have done in TI3! All the interviews you've conducted have been really great and it adds a unique flavor to the event.
My question is, what are your expectations about TI4? More specifically, what stories do you want to bring out to Dota 2 audiences watching on stream as well as the rest of the world in general.
Thanks!
Kaci's awesome and all, but what I wanna know is if this is really Gabe.
I know the answer, but I'm not going to confirm anything.
No offense to the person who posted that but Gabe's English would probably be better. Americans don't say "what you have done 'in' <an event>," the singular/plural agreement in the second sentence isn't there, and the fourth sentence needs a question mark.
Do you think it will be easier or harder to host TI the second time around?
A big part of what made your performance such a hit was how well you handled all the weird and wonderful aspects of a major eSports event for the first time. For a community that is so used to being dismissed and invalidated by wider society, part of the magic was your acceptance of it all.
How are you approaching your role as host differently this time?
Not a question, but its very cool to see that you've been recruited by other organizations to do major shows, notably We Day. I hope they loved you half as much as we did!
How did you let your co-hosts or friends in FOX know that you were going to be part of the biggest and most rewarding eSports tournament in the world? How did they react when they learned that most of the participants are grown men playing video games?
On April 04 2014 02:48 aeligos wrote: Very nice.
But where is Soe??
Soe will be there for sure. She did a great job at TI3 and she's too good of an asset for Valve. I just hope she'll have more of a role this time. Pflax and Soe honestly deserve more screen time.
Do you think if a single association or league, like the NBA for basketball, existed for a game like DotA 2 the number of audience, investors, or teams (both development/semi-amateur or professional) could grow to a more global scale?
Hope all is well. My question for you is - have you had a chance to try out Dota on your own time since your TI3 experience? Were you able to find some success? If so, what is your favourite role to play and why?
Looking forward to your hosting again this year Kaci. Just one question for you. Of all the interviews with pro players and fans you did last year, which interview stands out the most to you?
Word-of-mouth growth is very important to the eSports scene. How have friends, family and coworkers responded to your role in TI3? Have you encountered sustained interest from people who didn't know about Dota 2 eSports before?
On April 04 2014 02:42 Rainling wrote: That is the best new reporter footage I have ever seen.
don't really have a question but I agree with this. Absolutely loved her at TI3. I don't think I've seen anybody else do a better job at any esports event.
Seriously, we have a lot of top quality female hosts (hostesses?) now in esports. I think Sjokz is doing great in League, I think Soe does great in Dota2.
Seriously, we have talented gorgeous women who actually know their shit, and give a shit. Love the direction esports is heading.
Q: As you were completely new to the dota scene when you hosted TI3, what have you picked up of dota and esports in general during the past year? If you could travel back in time and tell yourself anything as you hosted TI3, what would it be?
The community is keen to draw parallels between esports and traditional sports. Do you see any fundamental differences between the two? Is there anything that sets esports apart from traditional sports?
You are clearly drawn to the stories that emerge from competitive play. Do you have a favourite sporting story?
Last year even being a noobie to the game and scene you did a great job. Being very professional and letting yourself get into this new world that others might find strange, awkward, or silly. How much have you learned over the last year to get into the scene more and become even more natural in this environment some might find foreign? (Either things learned in your professional career or in the world of DotA and gaming)
Considering the slowly increasing mainstream acceptance of gaming, and the huge success of competitive gaming as a spectator sport in particular over the last few years, what is your favourite type of cake?
Has anyone in your personal life (Nephew, cousin, niece, co-worker or friends kid, etc) brought up their interest or passion in gaming/esports since your appearance at TI3?
On April 04 2014 09:23 BlackGosu wrote: Hi Kaci. Are you single? If yes, would you go to TI4 with me?
She's married with children as I recall. Sorry BlackGosu.
My question: How much time did you spend researching DotA ahead of TI3, and how well did you feel you had to know the game before you felt comfortable attending the event? How has your preparation strategy changed for TI4?
Most esports are massively male-dominated, with few to no professional-level female players and only a handful of major female personalities in major esports titles. Would you like to see more women get involved with esports? If so, what do you think has to happen to make that a reality?
did you do your homework? do you know stuff about dota now as you promised you would? if you did what did you do to get into dota? if you didn't are you afraid of the community reactions?
Kaci, you stated in your previous HotBid interview that your gaming experience was limited to playing on an old Nintendo Console. Has TI3 inspired you to play more games? If Yes, which ones?
You mentioned how welcoming the scene was to you when TI3 happened. What's the biggest thing you're looking forward to in TI4 and what are you dreading most?
Were you asked back to TI or did you volunteer (or both, but which occurred first!)?
Have you had contact with any of the players during the year? What has been your involvement with Dota during the Dota season 2013-2014 (season defined as culminating with TI of course )
Would you ever consider making a career switch to a full-time e-sports personality/interviewer position?
If not would you travel abroad to cover similar types of events a few times a year?
Regardless of the emotions and excitement do you think progaming is a valid career choice now and into the future? Especially considering the rather low ceiling being competitive based on age. >27
On April 04 2014 17:28 RagnaRock wrote: If your child come to you and said "Mom, after highschool I'm taking x years break, I want to be a progamer" how would you react?
This question is awesome, please send her this one! Have you played much DotA since TI3? Do you have favorite heroes, or a favorite role in teams? How do you think being a host for events like this compares with being a news anchor/ reporter? Will Purge (Kevin) need to explain everything to you this time or will you navigate the tournament on your own? Do you have a new plan to make Maelk blush or any pranks planned for the panel?
Being a focal figure in Dota scene you get a lot of attention and I bet guys court with you. How do you deal with gamers/fans approaching you in a flirtatious manner. Do you feel frighten or maybe flattered and respond positively to it?
On April 05 2014 09:37 Darkren wrote: cant believe she degraded herself to fox news
Local Fox affiliates are not the same as Fox News. Fox is a network channel while Fox News is a cable channel. I can understand how this would be difficult for non-Americans to comprehend.
On April 05 2014 09:37 Darkren wrote: cant believe she degraded herself to fox news
Local Fox affiliates are not the same as Fox News. Fox is a network channel while Fox News is a cable channel. I can understand how this would be difficult for non-Americans to comprehend.
She also worked at the local Fox affiliate before she ever did TI3 so feeling somehow disappointed is really silly.
For industries that tend to be heavily male-centric (like gaming, programming, etc) what are the three biggest wins for getting women more comfortable, interested and involved?
Was TI3 just an awesome experience, or did it spun a gaming career for you? Do you play now, Dota 2 and other games? Also, how come we've never seen you in any other gaming event? You had no idea what was going on and yet you were the best host I've seen in a gaming event. Is it lack of interest, of desire to travel, or they're just not calling you for some odd reason?
Hey Kaci! Knowing that you're going to be part of TI4, have you been playing/watching more dota games to improve your knowledge about dota? And do you find that you yourself actually not knowing much about the game is actually a charming point haha!
Q: Do you have a favorite quote from one of the Dota2 heroes, esspecially after meeting some of the voice actors at TI3?
On April 04 2014 09:45 ControlMonkey wrote: Considering the slowly increasing mainstream acceptance of gaming, and the huge success of competitive gaming as a spectator sport in particular over the last few years, what is your favourite type of cake?
Do you think the expectation of the DoTA community- that you need to play that game and be familiar with it - is fair or unfair to have placed upon you considering your roll as a mainstream journalist doing an Esports event once a year.
Question submission closes in less than 24 hours (at 12:00 EST Sunday, April 6th - noon, for anyone wondering), so don't miss your chance to ask a question!
On April 05 2014 09:37 Darkren wrote: cant believe she degraded herself to fox news
Local Fox affiliates are not the same as Fox News. Fox is a network channel while Fox News is a cable channel. I can understand how this would be difficult for non-Americans to comprehend.
Thank you for your hard work at TI3 and your decision to return for TI4! What are you most looking forward to about TI4? Meeting up with the teams you met last year? Learning about the new teams? Actually watching the games? Or something else?
EPT
at least xboct is. 
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