Hello Ayesee. Let’s get started right off the bat. You were previously a Radio Jockey by profession. How was being an RJ like?
Well as everyone knows, I like to talk... almost to a fault! [Laughs] I also love to have an audience, even if I can't see them... so radio, much the same as eSports casting, is a perfect fit. It was always a kick getting recognized by people in my home town not because of my face, but because of my voice, and that still happens in eSports, too.
By and large, though, the work was all about discovering your own personal voice, both in the figurative and literal sense. It helps you develop your own sense of self and self confidence, and helps get in tune with the way things that you say can make people feel, both in a personal and professional sense. And without a doubt, it shaped and molded pretty much every part of who I am today.
Now you are into casting esports, specifically Dota 2. How is it being a Dota 2 caster?
Well it isn't an exaggeration to say that Dota 2 and our community changed my life completely. I mean, it goes without saying that it's unbelievably fun to be able to talk about your favorite game as a full time job, but that isn't even the half of it. Because of this game we all love, I've had the chance to travel the world, meet thousands of people, and broadcast to millions of people. Because of Dota, my life's journey took me from small-town West Virginia to San Francisco. And it's all because of the people around me, and the passion we all share. And the entire journey has been utterly and complete humbling.
Well they both have a lot in common, obviously – communicating in a way that somehow connects a viewer to whatever it is you're doing, be it sports, music, or anything else. But the biggest separating factor is that with eSports, the force that propels the scene, motivates its fans, and drives its players/casters isn't money, or tradition, or even the concept of a “fun career;” it's all driven by a passion for gaming, and our desire to share it with everyone around us. Absolutely anyone that works full time in eSports will tell you, it's impossible to break into it unless you truly love what you do.
It's a whole lot of toiling in obscurity, thankless jobs, and small pay-checks (if you're lucky enough to get a check at all, which most people aren't). Literally the only thing that can make you want to work in this industry is a love not just of your preferred game, but it's always about the people, and the way you can connect with them. Radio, as much as I enjoyed it, was nothing like that. And I know that I ended up exactly where I want to be.
You started out on esports commentary via StarCraft. When and how did you make the choice of transitioning into Dota 2? What were the factors that contributed to this transition?
The choice to switch to Dota 2 came around the end of 2011. I'd been doing Starcraft for about 12-18 months or so, and as much as I enjoyed the game... well, it started to stagnate, but in terms of what it offered to players, and how I felt about it in particular. And as I mentioned in my answer to your previous question, if you're trying to work in eSports and you're doing it for any other reason than love of the game and its community, you're doing the wrong thing. Then, came Dota... and I fell in love immediately. The rest was just an insane whirlwind that I'm still not sure has slowed down enough for my feet to touch the ground.
You became a well known personality in Dota 2 in a very short time frame. You were one of the few casters selected to cast The International. Considering the short time frame in which you became recognised, it’s an outstanding feat for any caster to cast TI. Can you share your thoughts regarding this sudden shot to fame?
Honestly, I couldn't believe it when I was asked to be a part of TI2. I had never played a game of Dota 2 until the beginning of 2012, had never casted a game of Dota until March of 2012... then that summer, I was casting The International.
The fact that IceFrog and the rest of Valve would put that much faith in me was honestly beyond imagining, but even that paled in comparison to the level of support I received from viewers and players. It was humbling to the point of completely changing me as a person. Now, I use it as motivation. Every day, I want to do whatever I can to pay back that investment with interest... and the best way I know how is to serve and contribute to our community the best that I know how.
A well deserved recognition indeed. Thereon, you went on to cast for EG in their Dota 2 League tournaments. Did EG get in touch with you? How?
EG actually reached out to me shortly before TI2 to gauge my interest in being signed on as lead caster for their new project, which would eventually become the D2L. I say “gauge my interest” to represent the way they approached it, NOT me! [Laughs] Anyone who knows eSports, knows EG, and knows that they're as good as it gets. I was ecstatic, and couldn't wait to work with them.
We planned to take a look at things following TI2, but even that was accelerated when I had a chance to meet Alex Garfield in Seattle during the event. From there, we started small with our first D2L season, but each iteration has been a step upwards and onwards... including the decision to move me to the Bay Area to work out of our downtown San Francisco office. And just like when they first reached out to me, I'm happy as can be about it.
Speaking of which, you’re gaining more popularity every passing day. Along with popularity comes criticism and as expected, you’ve been receiving a fair share of criticism from different sects of the community. What is your response to them and how do you feel about it?
Well, to be honest, it just comes with the territory. Anyone, no matter their profession, who works as an entertainer or in front of an audience will inevitably be both built up and torn down. This is only magnified for people in eSports due to the fact that pretty much all of our audience is web based, and web savvy, meaning they're more likely to voice their opinions via social media or message boards. And anyone who tells you that public criticism, deserved or undeserved, doesn't have a huge effect on you, is kidding you or kidding themselves.
However, it's part of the job description, and you have to do what you can to try to weed through the trolling, the baseless hate and vitriol, and take away what is valid and valuable in it all. That's where being surrounded with people you know you can trust, and who have your best interests at heart comes into play. I've got a great crew here in the office that I trust to read through hate-threads or criticisms, and pick up what they think I need to hear and think is a valid point of improvement, and pass it along to me. Even my girlfriend, Sherry, helps out with that, and helps keep me neutral when those sorts of things begin to affect me negatively.
So far as my “response” to the people who criticize, it's the same as always: thank you for supporting the scene, even if you don't support me, and please continue to speak your mind; it's the only way we'll know if what I'm doing is right or wrong. I'm always listening... I'm just more likely to listen to you in particular if I know it's coming from a place of genuine thoughtful criticism.
Dota 2 League season 4 was by far the most important tournament in D2L series. We saw well known teams competing at the event including Chinese. How was the overall experience of the event?
D2L Season 4 was a major milestone for me, and not just for the obvious reasons. Originally, when I first started working with EG, I was asked to design my dream tournament, and told based on budgets and our success rates, we'd work towards it. The format I devised more than a year ago in response to that request was the EXACT format we ended up using for D2L Season 4. Seeing something I'd dreamed up come to life like that was immensely satisfying, as you can imagine. And the community seemed to be as satisfied as I was – our regular season viewership exceeded all expectations, and our live finals in Las Vegas actually came very close to equaling those posted for Dreamhack Winter. What more could a caster ask for? [Laughs]
LGD came out victorious in season 4. Although there were some misunderstandings created just prior to the tournament, involving LGD and Team Liquid (as their replacement). What exactly happened and how was the situation handled?
It was essentially just a breakdown in communication, and that's always a working hazard when you're crossing language barriers. The exact breakdown and its resolution was well documented on Reddit and elsewhere, and I really don't have a whole lot to add to that... other than a much deserved shout-out to Colin, who is essentially the boss of the D2L, and Gianni, lord-high-god of administration. No matter the issue, they always find a solution, and working with them is a treat and a pleasure every day of the week.
You then casted Monster Energy Invitational LAN at Texas. EG broke the curse and Fear won his first LAN event with the team. Did you think EG could win or did you have other favourites?
Well they were definitely the favorites coming in, if for no other reason than TL and C9 both having to play with stand-ins. Don't get me wrong, the stand-ins they had were great in MSS and Demon respectively, but playing live on LAN is a different beast from online play. Any lack of experience of comfort in team play is magnified. Though at that point there were still a ton of questions as to how EG would play in a live setting, they played up to their potential and got the win I think we all expected them to.
Moving on, D2L season 5 was announced a few days back. Even though the reason for switching from LAN to online is understandable, do you necessarily think it was the correct decision?
Well, the Western Challenge is most definitely not our fifth season! [Laughs] That's why we chose to call our newest initiative by a different name – it was something we're doing with different goals in mind. At this point in the D2L's development, every full season will have a LAN final, and be bigger and better than the last. The problem we faced this Spring, and which the Western Challenge concept ultimately answered, was one of scheduling and priorities. What mattered more? That was immediately follow Season 4 with another full season? Or that we find the best possible way to deliver content while not putting too much pressure on teams and other organizers, and still having a way to excite our viewers? Naturally, we opted for the second choice, and I believe unequivocally that it was the correct decision. And the best benefit is that the budget we'd had secured for a live LAN this Spring is now shifted to our full Season 5 set to launch this fall... meaning it'll be even bigger than anticipated!
Season 4, except with a bigger prize pool, a bigger and more accessible LAN, and more hype! Also Pizza. Dot GG. Maybe. Probably not. Who knows.
Also, you’ll be hosting a new talk show. Care to grant some slight insights about the talk show?
REPORTED! is a concept we're still working on, and we actually had our pilot episode last week, but we didn't publicize it a lot as we're still tweaking what we want it to be. Generally speaking, though, the idea is a radio-style talk show broadcast via Twitch, and featuring viewer interaction via call in. Beyond that, we're still figuring it out as we go!
How would you compare Dota 2 to regular sports, in terms of viewing and casting?
Very much the same, and very much different. From a viewing perspective the biggest difference is the lack of immediate visual and visceral feedback for the skill and abilities needed to do what the competitors are doing. For example, you can know NOTHING about basketball but go watch the Heat play, and be wowed at Lebron's 40 inch vertical. Whereas much of what happens in eSports comes down to a basic understanding of mechanics so you can appreciate why a given play is something only 1% of players could or would ever make.
However, one thing that's shared in common is the absolutely infectious nature of enthusiasm that radiates off of big fans. Only in eSports, the value and role of it is ten fold that of traditional sports. I can't tell you how many people I met at both Internationals – everyone from cleaning staff to the lady who did the casters' make-up – who told me they had NO idea what was happening at any time on stage, but they'd catch themselves yelling and screaming because they were in the crowd and got swept away in the moment. And all of the above ties into what it's like to cast.
In traditional sports broadcasting, feeding off of the audience of course happens, but it isn't the at the heart of what you're doing. In eSports, it's absolutely essential. In many ways, casters are a mix of your broadcast crew and cheerleaders... we're just the fans picked out to give a voice to the thousands watching from their seats and from home. That's why I'm in eSports, and not in radio... I love the game, I love our community, and I love the chance to be the voice for them as we all collectively lose our minds together.
Have you been invited to cast TI4 yet? *smiles*
If I knew, you'd know. That's not exactly the sort of thing you keep to yourself! I can only hope I'm given the chance to shout it from the rooftops again soon. [Laughs]
Which teams according to you will be directly invited and which ones will have to go through qualifiers?
Direct invites, in no particular order:
Na'Vi
Alliance
Evil Geniuses
Cloud 9
Empire
Team DK
Invictus Gaming
Vici Gaming
Titan
Fnatic
NewBee
Coming through the qualifiers, I'd pick Team Liquid out of the Americas, RoX.KIS out of Europe, LGD.cn out of China, and... well, I have genuinely no idea out of SEA. Like, no idea at all. Zephyr, if they're invited. Because them's my friends! [Laughs]
Which team do you think is the strongest in East and West? Also, name your favorite team going into TI4?
If by “strongest” you mean “who do you think is the most likely to make a deep run,” then anyone who answers anyone but Na'Vi out of the West is trolling. At this point it's genuinely impossible to imagine an International grand final without them in it. Alliance is right there with them, for sure. Out of the East, it's equally impossible to shake the feeling the it's DK's year to see the Finals stage.
West. The West swung ahead of the East last year, and though they're more even now than they were then, with the East's multiple roster shifts taking as long as they did to finally settle, and most of the West's top teams (namely Alliance and Na'Vi) staying together or only making minor adjustments, I think we're definitely going to see the West bring home the Aegis again this year.
How would you differentiate Chinese from the western teams? What can you say about their respective playstyles?
I've always felt like the East tends to be more disciplined and methodical, while the West tends to approach the game in a much more open, creative way. This doesn't mean that one is better than the other, or that it's an absolute truth in all cases, but there's definitely more of a “swagger” to the way that Western teams play, while the Eastern teams often have a vibe of quiet intimidation and domination. It's that dichotomy that makes it fun as hell to watch when they clash on LAN!
I'm lucky enough to have a great collection of friends, family, and fans. To them, especially Sherry, I love you all. To foes... well, I love you, too, if you watch and support Dota. Just flame a little less, kay? Thanks of course to Evil Geniuse and our sponsors: HyperX, Monster Energy, Astro, XMG, Razer, and everyone else. And of course thanks to the whole community, whatever your role may be, for changing my life and making this possible for all of us!
You can follow Ayesee on FaceBook, Twitter and Twitch.
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