Interview: Chobra, the multitalent at OGN

Welcome,

to another interview with Team Liquid. This time I talked to William 'Chobra' Cho about his career in e-Sports. We will talk about Starcraft II, League of Legends and DotA 2 and his engagements in these titles. In addition we learn a little bit about his past and personality.

I hope you guys will enjoy this interview.



Q: Hi, could you introduce yourself for the start?

Chobra: Hello everyone! I'm William Cho, known as Chobra around the gaming community. I'm currently a Host and Translator at Ongamenet, and also the manager of Zephyr Dota here in Korea.

Q: How did you end up in e-Sports?

Chobra: "End up" is a funny way to put it, mostly because I'd say it accurately describes my journey here. I don't mean to say there wasn't a drive and effort put in, but it sort of...just happened. I always enjoyed being in front of a crowd, leading a show. I had been a part of countless plays, events and even forums. Until college, I satisfied this itch for presentation via music, as I had been working towards becoming a professional violinist. I had my fair share of successes in that field, but in the end I gave up on it. It's the one decision I keep going back to now and then. Ultimately, what bothered me was that I simply wanted to play music because I loved it and just to share expression beyond words, but once you make a career out of anything it becomes a business and politics. I couldn't handle that.

So there I was in my last semester of undergraduate studies at Columbia University, not knowing what I wanted to do. I was known as "that guy", the one who switched majors all the time (about 7 or 8 times over 3 years). I had settled on Political Science, but soon learned that it wasn't the life I wanted. I was also dealing with quite a handful of stressful personal issues among friends and family, so in an effort not to be thrown into the real world all lost and confused I decided to take a leave from school. It sounds cliche, but my plan was to discover myself a bit. So I just lounged around, taking each day as it came, watching some NBA, TV shows, taking walks, and playing games. This was 2012, when PC e-sports was picking up in NA thanks to LoL and Dota 2. I had always dreamed of being a broadcaster of sorts, and enjoyed games with a background in amateur FPS, so it just dawned on me that this was a short worth taking. I had all the time in the world having taken a leave, it was something I enjoyed, and definitely was a challenge. Jumping into a new field with blooming competition and uncertainty is daring, but it was an adrenaline rush. I originally began by studying Dota 2 extensively, but there were more open opportunities on the LoL side of things. I had never intended (still do not) to lock myself in as a single-title expert, so switching over to LoL which I had played for much longer was a sensible choice for me. In the beginning it was all volunteer work, just throwing myself at all sorts of online casting opportunities for free. Soon after, I met some fellow amateur casters and we created a regular community event (some LoL fans may have heard of Pentacast: Riot vs. Community), which coincidentally introduced me to the Dominion community (casting Dominate Dominion is still one of my fondest casting memories).

All this time, I hadn't settled on e-sports just yet. It was still a trial run. I had up to 2 years for the leave from school, so I told myself I had 2 years to see if I could get a stable income while not losing passion for e-sports. If yes, I'd continue to pursue it (and notify my parents. They weren't told just yet that I was pursuing this.) If not, I'd finish school, and look for a 9-5 while considering another wave of education in a field I did enjoy. This is when the MLG LoL Summer Arena of 2012 happened, which is where the rollercoaster took off for me. The story goes as follows.

I woke up on a Friday morning during the hot summer of NYC and remembered that the Summer Arena started that day. My friend had randomly run into some of the SC2 pros in K-Town the year before when the players were visiting for the MLG Arena. Going off of that story, I figured 'Why not me?' MLG was also hosting their Dr. Pepper Ultimate Fan Experience event at the time, where you could submit a video showing why you were the Utlimate Fan of MLG and Dr. Pepper for a chance to win a trip to MLG Raleigh. Me being the silly (but brilliant) e-sports fan I was, decided it would be a sweet idea to vlog myself drinking Dr. Pepper all day and searching for the MLG Offices to meet the players and casters. Haha, yeah...I didn't quite think the whole "drink sugary soda only all day on the hottest, most humid day of summer" thing through...

The problem was that I didn't know where the MLG Offices were. For somewhat apparent reasons, the address wasn't directly listed on any of their pages at the time. I was prepared to just roam the streets and walk around K-Town all day and night, but thankfully Saintvicious had posted a view from the offices on Twitter that morning. I saw some notable landmarks, and approximated the offices within a 3 block radius (there was definitely a more efficient way of doing this.) Phone and Dr. Pepper in hand, I set off. In fear of the internet sleuths we have today, I didn't dare drink water even when I wasn't on camera, and just kept drinking all the Dr. Pepper in the world while dropping by an office supplies store to pick up materials for a welcome sign for Azubu Blaze (now CJ Entus Blaze), going into a McDonald's to eat and draw the sign, and asking around the neighborhood in case anyone knew of the MLG offices. I eventually found it and just camped outside the lobby as I was denied access. The head coach (OnAir) and Reapered from Azubu Blaze eventually dropped by downstairs for a break, and noticed the super sweaty me with my sign. After a quick chat and a photo session, OnAir asked the security guard to let me at least wait inside the lobby so I don't melt into a puddle. I waited till the end, and got to meet all the players, almost all the casters, and talked with a few of the gentlemen at MLG. Even the employees were a bit bewildered at the time that I was there doing this for the UFE event. One of them suggested that I tweet at Sundance for a chance to visit the office the next day for the event. I didn't even think about it, I just tweeted him right that moment haha. I also ran into Slasher, who noticed that I had no issue speaking with Azubu Blaze in Korean. He was interested in not only me showing up but also my lingual skills and suggested I drop by again the next morning.

I go home, edit my video, upload it, and come by the next morning...to be invited into the office by one of the guys at MLG and Slasher. Things took off from there. I got to hang out at the office both Saturday and Sunday, helping with some translation backstage while I was at it, and meeting all the casters and production crew. By the end of the event, I had most notably traded contact information with MLG and Montecristo. I joined Montecristo and his website ggchronicle.com right after as a reporter, and then was asked to interpret at MLG Dallas for LoL. Soon after I was given the honor to cast for MLG for LoL, before coming out here to Korea for OGN!

Phew. That story always seems much longer than I imagine it to be haha.



Q: What decided that you move to Korea for OGN?

Chobra: It wasn't as simple a decision as some of you might imagine. While I can speak the language and understand Korean culture a bit, I held negative memories about Korean social culture. It should be noted that sometimes it's even worse to be half and half when engaging in culture as the expectations for you vary drastically from case to case. The other side of things was how I was doing in NA. I had recently landed the casting gig at MLG. After all, a regular casting gig was my immediate goal. The MLG offices were fairly close, and I was used to the neighborhood. I also had a fairly solid spot as a notable translator/interpreter for e-sports, especially LoL, in NA. Ongamenet was but a legend to me, sure, but that didn't change the fact that the comparison was still the Known vs. Unknown. I was offered a position as a part-time caster and producer, full-time translator/interpreter

The notion of translating/interpreting was a big concern of mine at the time. I love casting and hosting, but I knew that I had a unique spot (along with some others!) as a translator and interpreter. To me, that was a big responsibility. I always picture myself as that bridge between KR and Western e-sports. The dilemma then focused on two things: whether I wanted to focus on the KR to Western direction or the opposite, and which location would be more efficient for either.

After much deliberation, I decided let's go for it. I would also be given a chance to try my hand at production, and as someone who has always enjoyed Korean TV entertainment, this sounded like the perfect playground for me. The translating and interpreting aspect also seemed more efficient from Korea, as there's just so much content here that isn't shared well with the Western scene. Heck, I had gone for opportunity after opportunity of uncertainty until then, so why not continue the streak? Plus, Ongamenet stands as a legendary figure for all of us in e-sports, so it would be crazy to meet all the people involved out here. I have to say, it helped that Monte was already out here casting with Doa, so having someone I knew that was from the US out here was comforting, and it helped finding a place to stay much easier as I ended up moving into the same apartment.

Q: Did you end up doing what you were hired for or did it change along the way?

Chobra: Oh boy. This is hard to explain. The simple answer is: yes, it definitely changed along the way. This was a blessing and a curse, brought upon by both myself and OGN. As mentioned, my original job was to be a part-time caster and producer, full-time translator...that already contains 3 different aspects of global broadcasting. When I got here, the situation was much different than imagined. Everyone "wanted" more content, but the base wasn't there. How would global content be marketed? How would we efficiently produce korean content globally, let alone create exclusive global content? What content should be prioritized? None of this had been decided and it became clear to both parties that the issue was cultural inexperience.
So everything I originally set out to do was scrapped and I acted as the Global Advisor. Translating and casting became the secondary job for me at this point, as it was very apparent a solid base needed to be set for future content. All of this was a blessing because it helped both OGN and myself really project how the future should look, and also gave me a ton of experience in various aspects of broadcasting business let alone business culture in Korea. At the same time it was a curse because there WERE aspects that I was rather inexperienced in, and I was stretched way too thin. On the business side of things I was out there searching for potential sponsors and partners. On the marketing side of things I was helping set up the social networking of OGN Global, and helping analyze the different methods of marketing between the Korean and Western audience. On the production side of things I was helping monitor the live broadcasts, translating content, and still trying to squeeze in any new content. I still jumped at any opportunity I got to hop on stage, or sometimes when necessary as Monte or Doa may have to take a day off for various reasons.

Q: What were some difficulties you encountered while working in Korea?

Chobra: The greatest difficulty was the variance in expectation. Basically, cultural conflict. First there's the huge gap between OGN's mindset and viewpoint and mine. Not only is there the KR vs. US culture gap, but also one between an isolated e-sports food chain vs. one riddled with start-ups and creative freedom. The KR vs. US culture gap resulted in many arguments in the office between myself and a co-worker or boss haha. I laugh about it now as most of it has been resolved over time, but the first few times were very frustrating (I'm sure it was for the other side too >.<) You have a huge clash of ideas, yet you can't quite figure out why as it's simply a result of habit or cultural environment. The e-sports culture gap was a bit different. For OGN, not only are there quite a few protocols in terms of how e-sports should be run as a broadcaster, but there's also the high expectation in standard. Even if something is a new venture, they're not fans of settling for less. I wholeheartedly agree with their standard, but to me the problem is that you have to start somewhere. It's been a struggle, but I think more and more as time goes on, OGN and I are both starting to see each other's point, which is leading to more movement on the global side of things for sure.

Q: Your main work was Starcraft in LoL in the beginning. It changed later but you would you say that OGN gave your e-sports career a huge boost?

Chobra: Oh definitely. Would I have been given similar opportunities in the West? Who knows. That doesn't take credit away from OGN though. being able to showcase and improve upon my interpretation work for a live viewership of 60k, 80k+ was an honor. They also gave me a chance to simply do my thing at the WCS S1 Global Finals for Starcraft 2. OGN trusted me to design and host a segment on a massive global event. That event may have been the most honored I've ever been in e-sports. I didn't get a ton of on-air exposure in 2013, but the times OGN gave me a chance really helped me stand out in e-sports and have exposed me to the community and some lovely fans. I have nothing but respect for the OGN guys, and am really thankful they gave me the chances they did to go on-air and talk my heart out.
The off-air work also boosted my career. It helped me learn more about broadcasting and e-sports in general, broadening my knowledge for the field. I was given tons of networking opportunities to meet and learn from many other veteran professionals around the world. There were tough times and all, but I think everything OGN allowed me to do has boosted my career in various ways.



Q: You also traveled quite alot to other countries. Is there an event which stood out in comparison to the others?

Chobra: If I had to pick out one foreign event I've had the honor to be a part of, then it would be Blizzcon 2013, because I got to try Heroes of the Storm *jokes*. Seriously though, Blizzcon 2013. I've had the honor to work at numerous other grand events with broadcasters such as the WCS S2 Global Final with ESL and LoL World Championships Season 3 with OGN. Blizzcon was the one event that really reminded me why I stick with e-sports though.

I blogged about this right after the event. The energy and the excitement was insane. It helped that the tournament had some nice episodes, such as Jaedong's burrow win. Regardless, the fans were excited for the game. I've felt energy at all other events but this...was something different. It wasn't just energy. I hate to call it passion either. It was just emotion. When the game got tense, there was anxiety in the air, when there was a great play there was cheering and shouting, when the winner came out there was endless applause. It's what reminded what it should always feel like at such a grand e-sports tournament.

I still miss it.


Q: You are/were active in SC2, LoL and Dota2. How would you describe the Korean e-Sports landscape.

Chobra: It's...something. Heh. It's still huge that's for sure. Does it vary by title? Absolutely. The love for e-sports is still overarching however. I would say the community is not...as deep as it is wide. This is partly because a lot of storylines are gone. In LoL you have SKT T1 K singlehandedly dominating the scene 3 tournaments in a row, SC2 also seems to be in a place where old storylines are ending and new ones are just forming, while Dota2 is just new overall in Korea. There are still fans of teams and fans of players no doubt, but it's not as exciting if the result is always the same or if it's actually too hard to call because it's just an unknown rather than close. I claim this because at the Blizzcon 2013 Grand Finals for WCS, when Jaedong finally wins the 5th set in his Semi Final with burrow roaches in a dramatic manner, his name instantly climbed to the Top 5 search terms on Naver (basically, Korea's google). There were comments from older fans who reminisced about Jaedong's Broodwar days, there were people asking what happened, and this drew attention to Blizzcon overall. The drama was there. It's so rare to find that kind of emotion in the Korean community anymore in my personal opinion.

Then there are the broadcasters/producers. There's definitely a positive wind in this regard. OGN and GOM are still doing what they can to bring forth the dramatic tension and storylines of tournaments, and SpoTV is starting to branch out from simply live-casting matches. All 3 major parties are also very aware of the global need.

As for developers, it's hard to say. Especially with the big 3 in Korea right now (LoL, SC2, Dota2), as all 3 titles are developed by an HQ elsewhere. I know the Korean offices are hard at work with players and broadcast partners to help push forward a new wave of e-sports, but it's the area I have least insight on.

Q: What would be your forecast of it?

Chobra: It definitely needs a revival. It's become shallow, and in my view this is due to both a generational shift and also just the professional scene at the moment. The generational shift is something I've noticed globally. Simply put: We've come to take e-sports as granted. The internet has given us so much access to so much e-sports around the world, that it's just not AS exciting as it used to be for many people. I'm not saying the excitement is gone...The IEM World Championship this past weekend proves that it's still there, and across multiple titles. Look at regular leagues though. There's so many matches, that to be a fanatic, you have to watch all of it, often burning yourself out. If you don't, then sometimes bigger tournaments mean nothing to you as you have no idea why the other teams or players are important.
I don't think it's going to die. In fact, I think the scene will continue to grow, in Korea and globally. There will be larger venues, bigger crowds, and crazier production value. But if it doesn't grow deeper, I think it will burn out many of those who work on the inside.

Q: You were a translator, global advisor and now a caster. Is there a task which you prefer or do you like them the same?

Chobra: It's hard to say. The simple answer is that I enjoy all of them fairly similarly. There are a few minute details that differentiate them though.
As a global advisor, what got me going was my determination, my drive. I can't stand to watch extra productivity just pass by, and since it was related to field I enjoy (e-sports and broadcasting), I stopped at nothing. All-nighters, sleeping at the office...I've done it all. The issue here is that the stress becomes real. Because my drive is what keeps me going, it also amplifies my stress level, which feeds my drive...but as I am unfortunately human, there is a limit. The satisfaction after an event or product release though is incomparable. That's the upside.
As a caster, it's one of those things that I truly enjoy. There's definitely stress, but it's the type of stress that I can glance over, because as soon as I'm on set I'm in a different world. My comfort level and stress level differs from title to event etc., but there's that baseline of "This is my home."
As a translator, it's an intellectual pursuit. There's definitely a similar feeling as a caster in the sense that I get to help present the awesome content. There's some stress, but over time and experience I've learned to get over the stress. I'll still take criticism, but not worry about how much I will get when I'm in the act. It's an intellectual pursuit because the more I work on it, the more I watch others, the more I learn about the lingual and cultural differences in KR and various Western regions. This in turn helps my casting and production too ^^



Q: You are quite active now in the Korean Dota2 scene as a Manager of Team Zephyr. How did that happen?

Chobra: Quite active is rather an over statement, as I feel there is much more I could and should be doing =[ A fan pointed one of our players (Blitz) in my direction right before the NSL Season 3 Qualifiers. Zephyr hadn't been able to find a manager/translator who could commit, and so at first I decided to help the boys out for the qualifiers. I was more than happy to be the team manager, but I was in a similar boat as I wasn't aware where I would land myself with OGN for 2014. After the first few weeks, my role at OGN was set, and I was able to commit as the team manager, and thankfully the guys were happy to have me on board.

Q: What are your main duties as a Manager for Team Zephyr and could you describe them?

Chobra: I'm more the lifestyle and PR manager. I don't have the time nor expertise in Dota 2 to be a coach, and I unfortunately don't have the time to assist in business aspects. We do have others working on business aspects, and as for coaching, for now the players get by with their own work. I'm responsible for any official PR workings in Korea (interviews etc.) and help with the team's twitter account. I of course translate for most of their work, and help work things out with broadcasters and Nexon here in Korea.

Q: You recently moved to a new apartment. Did you think about moving into the team house with your players?

Chobra: Very briefly. Unfortunately, the team lives an hour bus ride away from Gangnam, which isn't too bad for any SpoTV or GOM eXP related work, but is rather an annoyance for any OGN related work. OGN's studio is currently in Yongsan, which is another 30 or so minutes by public transportation from Gangnam, and the offices are in Sangam which would take about 40-50 minutes from Gangnam depending. It just wasn't practical for my main line of work, which is still as a caster for OGN.

Q: You are already quite successful in Korea with Team Zephyr. You won a NSL and qualified as a Tier 1 team in the KDL. What are the plans for the future? Do you want to participate in events overseas or just focus on Korea right now?

Chobra: The goals for the team are almost entirely decided on by the players. I take more of an advisor approach here because it unfortunately is not my main line of work at the moment. If I can't put in the 200%, then I don't want to become overbearing. At the same time, the guys on Zephyr are pretty sensible and Purge has a wide array of experience thanks to his own branding PurgeGamers. At the beginning, the only goal was NSL. That was it, since winning the NSL was the only way to make future plans valid. The KDL offers another great goal immediately in front of our eyes, but other options aren't disregarded. No matter the tournament, the goal is to be active as a team in Korea.

Q: Many SC2 fans are wondering if OGN will get into Starcraft again. Do you have some information on this matter?

Chobra: I unfortunately do not. Even when I did have a big part in business partnerships, a lot would naturally be confidential. OGN is still involved in the Blizzard universe for sure, as can be noted by the Hearthstone Invitational, and the OGN Live Show which will have begun airing by the time this interview is out.

Q: Was it hard for you to get back as a caster after a long break? How did you prepare?

Chobra: Of course. Stage work requires talent, but that doesn't mean you pick up where you left off. It was a bit awkward. I was working with a new casting partner (Monte), who has a very distinguished role and style. My goal this year is to set my own, as a host/caster but the issue here is that there's a mini analyst in me too. When I talk with Monte, I could go for days bouncing off of his analysis. So it was even harder for me to try to refrain from doing so, as my personal view is that e-sports (in a lot of titles) is currently in danger of becoming too analytic. There's a reason we have distinguished roles. I want to expand on that.
I prepared by listening to the Korean and English casters for various titles. I think there's much to learn from the style of one title to another. I've also begun practicing my vocal skills again to make sure my broadcasting is as good technically as it is stylistically. This means vocal exercises at home and enunciation/pronunciation exercises as well.
I'm thinking of getting back into doing music for fun, which may go hand in hand with all of the above.



Q: Do you have a favorite moment while working at OGN?

Chobra: There's so many. I'll pick 3. One was the LoL Champions Winter 2012-2013 Final. It was a month after I landed in Seoul. I had been thrown into the thick of things as soon as I landed, and there wasn't really any time to adjust. It didn't matter though, as soon as the match was over, the emotions took over. I was tired and burnt out to the point of a breakdown, but I was also so amazed at what I had just witnessed first hand. It was an honor to say I was a part of creating that experience for all the fans.

I have to include the WCS S1 Global Finals. I hope the OGN Lounge was an experience many SC2 fans will cherish just as I will. It was a rough weekend, that's for sure. I hadn't slept at all before the opening day, so I did the introduction running on zero sleep, helped fix the stream, and ran home to catch up on sleep for day 2. Then it was 2 full days of broadcasting. We were all delirious, especially all the casters. It was one heck of a fun time though. Getting to do my own thing alongside Monte, Doa, Day9 and Apollo was phenomenal. All 4 of them were encouraging and accommodating and the love from the community was more than I could ever ask for. I'll be honest, I was a bit scared since it was my first official SC2 event. I just ran with it, and the community was willing to accept. Definitely one of the moments where the community made it for me.

The last happened about 1-2 months ago. The head of the Global team approached me and asked what I thought about a new show idea, exclusively global. One of the results from this conversation is the Live Show we now have. It sounds cheesy, but I've never been happier to hear about a show idea. It didn't matter if it was groundbreaking, rehashed, or just a recycled idea. What was important was that the Global team was now confident enough to start venturing into new lands. OGN has always been appreciative of my efforts in 2013, and I have always respected their standards and grounds, but sometimes I had to wonder how much impact all of our work in 2013 had. That conversation was the one that made me think 'worth it.'

Q: You went to China to cast Crossfire for OGN. Will we see you casting more FPS in general? Or was this just a special event?

Chobra: For now there aren't any upcoming FPS plans for myself. Personally, I'm all for casting more FPS tournaments. I've never been as excited during a cast. I'm sure there's much to improve technically, but I had such an easier time getting pumped up during the cast then I do with LoL or SC2. I believe this is because of my amateur FPS background. I appreciate the stage experience based on my work in other fields in the past, and I know the anxiety and tension firsthand when you're the last man standing in a round of Search and Destroy. The pacing also felt more natural to me. Don't get me wrong, I love casting LoL, which is why I still stick with it. Crossfire simply felt like it took less effort out of me to get to a satisfactory level, and it was my first time casting the game. I hope to return to Crossfire Stars Season 3, but in the meantime if there are any FPS titles that are active both globally and in Korea, I'd push OGN to pick it up so I can cast it haha.

Shoutouts:

Well, you can find me on twitter @WillChobra. I haven't gotten around to making a facebook to connect with fans, although I'm aware that certain regions Facebook is the preferred choice (and allows for longer postings). [Note:He has Facebook now.] In place I do have a blog at tumblr. I tend to write tons of drafts and not end up publishing them as new stories come up, so I'll have to get better at that heh. I also will start streaming again this week, and while my current twitch address is at http://www.twitch.tv/willchobra

I also want to give a shoutout to the community. I think there's much to improve from all of us involved, but there are moments of brilliance and emotion that remind me why I keep going. Also shoutout to Team Liquid. The community has been very welcoming here, and it's just a darn shame I'm not more active around these parts >.<

Lastly, a huge thanks to all the PD's I've worked with at Ongamenet. By now I've worked with nearly every single one in the e-sports department so it's hard to list them all, but I've loved working with every one of them and have learned so much. Of course at the top of all that is Crisis Wi, the father of e-sports here in Korea, the legend behind many famous OSL's in the past. Continue to check out our content at OGN and OGN Hearthstone!

Interview: Chexx
Graphics: Chexx
Photos: Helena Kristiansson
Editor: Chexx