How to Get Started as an Esports Shoutcaster
Utilize these tips to start your casting career.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a part of the rising industry of esports? Hear the crowd go wild, travel around the world, laugh, and engage with people who have similar interests as you? Those are just some of many perks of being involved in the esports industry and you don’t have to be a pro player to have it all!
There are so many different types roles for all types of people when it comes to esports, but I am going to shine some light on one of my favorite roles: shoutcasting.
Types of casters: Play-by-Play vs. Color
Before you sit down and try shoutcasting any game, there needs to be an understanding of the two different types of casting, and the earlier you can discover your type the better.
Play-by-play casting ("The Talk")
If you like to hype up a play or talk about what is going on in an action-filled team fight in a game, then this is the role for you. You will need to have the ability to speak fast and clearly while observing every detail of the actions in the match.
To be a play-by-play(PbP) caster, you don’t need the most impressive game knowledge, though it is helpful. Something that makes a PbP caster stand out is the creativity that they bring to the table. Anyone can look at a screen and blabber out what they are seeing, but if you can be creative with it and have dynamic wordplay, then you will be more noticeable and loved by the viewers.
Here in this video where we look at some amazing shoutcasters from the Overwatch scene where they went made history. Pay attention to how the PbP casters use different methods of casting any personality traits to deliver the best entertainment and storyline.
Color casting ("The Brain")
Now let’s say you enjoy more of the complex bits of a game, such as strategies, team compositions, decision making, and sometimes a little judgment of the teams, then go no further than being a Color Caster. Your job as a color is to provide the viewers with a little explanation of why a certain action happened and how it will impact the game moving forward.
You might not have the responsibility of hyping up a play like a PbP, but that does not make a Color Caster’s job any easier. You have to have extensive knowledge about the game and the ability to explain it in the most simplest and vivid manner. Also, there will be a lot of studying of team backgrounds, rivalries, matchups, stats, and much more.
