On June 10 2011 13:28 SKtheAnathema wrote: I don't understand the TB hate. I love him. He reminds me of those radio sportscasters. I can tell what's going on by just listening to the audio while doing other things and it's entertaining at the same time. Can't say that for many other casters.
If you are listening to the audio of a video instead of watching it, then you are doing it wrong
We aren't talking about radio, we are talking about video. Radio announcers have to tell you what is going on because you cannot see it for yourself. Video allows you to see what's going on, making video a superior medium for entertainment.
It's a good thing that you can't say it for other casters because they actually have an idea of what they are doing.
On June 10 2011 13:28 SKtheAnathema wrote: I don't understand the TB hate. I love him. He reminds me of those radio sportscasters. I can tell what's going on by just listening to the audio while doing other things and it's entertaining at the same time. Can't say that for many other casters.
If you are listening to the audio of a video instead of watching it, then you are doing it wrong
We aren't talking about radio, we are talking about video. Radio announcers have to tell you what is going on because you cannot see it for yourself. Video allows you to see what's going on, making video a superior medium for entertainment.
It's a good thing that you can't say it for other casters because they actually have an idea of what they are doing.
This is how commentary actually works in the real world.
I do watch sports and I see the point you are making. It doesn't change the fact that radio and video are two different mediums of entertainment and require different approaches to commentary.
Adebisi has been my favourite caster for a fair while now (even if he does stubbornly refuse to stream when I'm online). Not once have I had to sit back in annoyance and mutter to myself 'how can you not know this?' Fingers crossed for you.
On June 10 2011 13:28 SKtheAnathema wrote: I don't understand the TB hate. I love him. He reminds me of those radio sportscasters. I can tell what's going on by just listening to the audio while doing other things and it's entertaining at the same time. Can't say that for many other casters.
If you are listening to the audio of a video instead of watching it, then you are doing it wrong
We aren't talking about radio, we are talking about video. Radio announcers have to tell you what is going on because you cannot see it for yourself. Video allows you to see what's going on, making video a superior medium for entertainment.
It's a good thing that you can't say it for other casters because they actually have an idea of what they are doing.
This is how commentary actually works in the real world.
In Germany we only have one commentator for football (soccer). He's doing both play by play and color commentating. So having guys who do both & excel at both isnt unheard of in the real world
I think however it's a fairly important point to consider, that the casters make so much of a difference to the eSports experience in Starcraft 2 when the casting is much less of a factor in actual sports in terms of how much you enjoy the game. Which makes me wonder about just how legitimate Starcraft 2 actually is as a spectator sport when the commentators can either make the most dull game entertaining, or the best game an unlistenable disaster in the eyes and ears of some people. Food for thought, nothing more.
I don't think it's fair to draw that parallel when actual sports commentators are a lot more established in terms of experience in casting professionally, so you are going to get a higher, more even standard of casting in real sport. In addition to this, I know of plenty of people who absolutely would not have listened sky sports and will listen to bbc 5 live or something just because they hated Andy Gray's commentary. Similarly, god save you if you ever try to listen to any Chinese commentary of football, it's absolutely abysmal, and I have a hard time watching that personally.
Being a play by play commentator might excuse you not going into the greatest depth of analysis, but it's not an excuse for having a negligible knowledge of the game.
Martin Tyler might not provide the analysis of the colour commentator, but he definitely understands the game of football.
The big difference between starcraft and mainstream sports is the 'at a glance' simplicity of the game. Take the tennis example above. Any first timer can watch for 5 minutes and know the object of the game, and probably most of the rules. Another 5 minutes and you can tell how good the people playing are... Play by play announcing of tennis would be a) impossibly difficult due to the speed of the game, and b) insanely redundant. I don't know if tennis matches are ever done on radio, though I suppose they have been at some point or another...
The same is true of futbol (soccer), baseball and basketball. The games are intuitive, practically self explanatory, at a glance... but these games take a little longer to get to know the depth of the game, so more commentary is necessary. I think American football and baseball have the greatest depth of gameplay, and so need both analysis, color, and commentary for the best viewing experience. This of course can be done either with video or just audio...
Starcraft is a lot like these latter games, except it may take a little bit longer to grasp what is going on. All the more reason to have multiple layers and types of commentary... And certainly, the more you know about the game, the less layers you 'need' as a spectator, but that does nt mean they ought not be present.
I don't 'need' Vin Scully or Joe Buck/Tim McCarver to tell me what is happening in a baseball game. But if I'm watching on TV, they make the experience better. (ok, Buck/McCarver was a bad example, I just assumed they were the most well known baseball commentators)
TL;DR While certain kinds of commentary may seem extraneous to some, it is a welcomed part of the experience for most viewers, even the most savvy.
Tennis is a bit of an exception though, as silence from the public is expected while players are exchanging shots and commentators naturally tend to do the same. It's part of tennis culture, really.
EPT
