Totalbiscuit on IdrA's casting - Page 26

On May 13 2011 16:11 C.W. wrote:
Who is totalbiscuit?

On May 13 2011 16:11 C.W. wrote:
Who is totalbiscuit?

On May 13 2011 20:26 sanya wrote:
total biscuits problem ,as always, is that he thinks that sports casting/e-sports casting require the same skills and/or should work the same way...

no idra isn't the caster that generates the most excitement , that shows the most emotion...nor does he need to be as the analyst of a casting duo.But he definately SHOULD call out if a game is essentially over...
there's just no point hyping it up if one of the players fucks up so monumentally that he's impossibly far behind,or if it's "almost impossible to hold this push"ect.

and on caster types... maybe there isn't a moment in physical sports where knowing just too little is bad for play-by-play commentators, but in starcraft there IS.

tb doesn't know anything about it above gold/plat level , and trys to make it up in screaming bullshit like so many other casters...
which is fine for youtube but doesn'T belong in a big league

so in conclusion
idra > pointless screaming ... excitement or no

On May 13 2011 20:31 Nayl wrote:


Koreans treat it as such and they have some of the highest quality casting in esports. You should realize hardcore sc players are not the majority of esports viewers anymore in the West.

Big league Korean casters entail both types of casting, and the reason for their 3 caster set up. Each of them focuses on their strength, casters on entertainment, and commentators focus on analysis. In order for esports to grow, we NEED both kinds of casting.

On May 13 2011 20:32 sanya wrote:


please read my post again
ty

On May 13 2011 20:34 Egyptian_Head wrote:
TB is right, that said I like idras casting but he can be a little flat sometimes. I like it when casters get excited, why would I get excited about a match even the casters arnt excited about? Put him next to someone like TB And the problem in solved. Plenty excitement and plenty analysis.

This really isn't a big deal, someone saying idra has some basic faults in his casting really shouldn't be surprising, he is a pro gamer not a pro caster.

On May 13 2011 20:30 Andorra wrote:
Wow, the amount of disrespect towards TB is sickening. I guess reddit system is indeed much better as the discussion seems way more mature than here were people insult TB without any basis.

Very sad.

On May 13 2011 20:39 hifriend wrote:
I think play-by-play commentary is pretty redundant in sc2, assuming you're not targeting a tiny fraction of newbies. Analytical commentary is the only sort of commentary that doesn't get muted when I watch tourneys, unless the caster is exceptionally funny or something.

On May 13 2011 20:38 Ziggitz wrote:
TB's casting philosphy is basically to be a shill for whatever organization is hosting the tournament. "Everyone look at how excited I am, because I am excited you should be excited too!"

It's stupid. It's an insult to the more knowledgeable spectators and it does nothing to bridge the experience gap and educate new spectators. If you don't educate new spectators they quickly become non spectators which is why TB is BAD for the SC2 pro scene. There is no credibility with TB's style of casting and his lack of analytical skills is far worse a concern than Idra's lack of showmanship which is why Bobby Knight can get get a job as an NCAA Basketball Commentator and David Letterman or Conan O'Brien couldn't in a million years. There is no established spectator sport that would abide ignorant casters for a micro second, nor false hype. Without credibility you cheapen the truly exciting moments in the game(imagine TB casting the Nestea vs SC series).

I don't even agree that his casting philosophy is valid or represented in any established spectator sport. There are two very popular forms of dual commentary:

One consists of two very knowledgeable players one of whom does the play by play casting and then during the less eventful moments engages in analysis with his co-commentator. In SC2 usually the more play by play commentator is doing the observing while the commentator playing the analyst is looking everywhere the observing player isn't trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together to figure out exactly what's going on, basically what Tasteless and Artosis do. When Artosis finds something important and exciting he interrupts Tasteless and builds excitement for the viewer by sharing with it with us and educating us at the same time. Otherwise when nothing exciting is actually happening on the screen and Artosis doesn't interject, Tasteless transitions out of the play by play and engages in analysis with Artosis, debating where the game will go from here, what each player should do or what cues they should pick up on, maybe what other players have done in the past or how a player can come back from a disadvantage, even stating that a player is straight up dead and why.

The other is a more Day[9] and DJWheat style where Wheat's game knowledge is clearly inferior to Day[9]'s but he is more than capable of steering the commentary, doing the play by play and generally playing host. He also plays the role of student while Day[9] plays the instructor in way that the audience can both follow the action and learn from the answers Day[9] gives to DJWheat's questions. Wheat can ask a question or pose a theory on what a player intends to do and ask Day[9] to comment on it, or Day[9] can take control if he sees something happening that's important and DJWheat isn't even aware is happening.

These two models are pretty much what you'll find in any well established spectator sport in one form or another and you won't find anything like what TB does. You'll find TB's philosophy of casting at the dog races, the horse track, the rock paper scissors world championship, the world's strongest man competition, the circus. Reputable leagues and Broadcasters hire authorities on the games in question which is why so many ex coaches and players end up becoming commentators. Further more TB's style doesn't really fit into any either of the two models above and they are both the kind of models that can provide the depth that veteran viewers want while providing insight and education for newer viewers at the same time.

At the end of the day TB's viewers will not stick around and Idra's will, to grow the scene you need someone who can educate new viewers to the point where they can appreciate the analysis that the pro gamer commentators do. Otherwise they're just going to lose interest because they will grow tired of such a shallow experience as they'll have none of the depth that the more educated fans have to appreciate.