A Reply to a comment : tips on casting?

i received a comment on my previous blog post, which i'd like to reply as a standalone entry, because, i think its something i can elaborate on.


Hermit said...
Ah, more insight into the illustrious FurryFish. Just to ask, are there any videos of you casting matches? And secondly, what sort of advice would you give to someone who wants to get into commentating but is still schooling.

Any response, even one telling me to sod off, would be much appreciated.

Cheers!

11:29 PM

 My Reply :
hmm... yeah i have a few videos of LAN casting, which are too long for youtube. i do have a recent one which i did as a stream. it was sprung upon me very suddenly, 5 years after i stopped shoutcasting. you can view it here, in 3 parts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSyxHfI74BU&list=UUl99WlVGRkCXmAznyTm2JDw&index=9&feature=plcp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6U3Nf8axyxk&list=UUl99WlVGRkCXmAznyTm2JDw&index=7&feature=plcp
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJMVlhpRU7A&list=UUl99WlVGRkCXmAznyTm2JDw&index=8&feature=plcp
according to some people on stream either myself or one of my 2 co-casters let out a burp at the end. and i apologise for that.




i categorise casting into 2 kinda - online and LAN
Online casting is less forgiving because people can hear and watch everything very clearly, without being disturbed by cheering crowds, and because VODs can be re-watched.
more analysis is also expected, as are insights into the game, gameplay, gamers etc
lan/live casting, imo, is infinitely more fun because i thrive on audience feedback, and its more about the excitement as opposed to the analysis.

if you want to start casting, i suggest you familiarise yourself with online casting first:

set up a stream over at twitch.tv or own3d.tv hook up a mic, get a replay and start on a replay.
of course you'll need to feel your way around software like xsplit, photoshop etc as well.
you will discover that you're more partial towards either analysis, or play by play casting.
optimally, casters cast in pairs, with each person taking one of the roles. i myself prefer to do play by plays.

additional tips if you're casting dota :
- work on your map awareness, make sure you don't miss kills and engages
- keep checking items in stash/chick
- in huge engages, its normal to not be able to talk about everything that's happening at once. you can instead focus on one important hero and track its movements until its dead or out of engagement, then move on to another hero.

you know you havent written in a long time when people ask you about it on msn.

paperheader pms me on msn : you havent blogged in a super long time.

i've been feeling kinda dry recently... creatively speaking. and i think it's time for me to get my grammar and writing skills oiled and back in action. as always, i type, with minimal punctuation, just words so you get what i mean.

And because i've been so uninspired, i've asked the people on my facebook to give suggestions on topics to write about. i guess i'll address them one by one for a start.


tips for people who want to follow my career path.
i graduated from uni, and spent the good part of a year doing contract work, applying for jobs and being involved in shoutcasting and gaming - both as a player and as a caster.
after doing contract work at a few companies, i realised that an office job would be the death of me. spending my days from 8-5 cooped up at my desk is definitely not a way i'd spend my time for a couple/few thousand a month.
then one day, in 2007 while casting at an event, i saw a Razer booth, and there was a sign outside saying they were hiring.
i applied.
i got the job.
admittedly, i wasn't exactly sure of what i wanted to do. i went in wanting to do marketing, then was plopped into ap sales doing an admin role, then i wanted to go into sales, lacked experience, went back to marketing, and eventually progressed from asia-pacific marketing to global marketing before finally quitting in may 2012.

for me, i loved Razer and their products, the brand. it didnt matter as much to me what my role in the company was as long as i knew i could make a difference in some way.
so my first tip would be, make sure you know what your priorities are.
a job in the gaming industry usually overlaps with your passion, hence, while it might be enough for you to be a part of it, its not enough for your career progression if you don't know your strengths and preferences, and long term (and indeed along the way) people will question you, and you will question yourself, about your decisions to work in the gaming industry.

my next tip is, don't burn bridges.
and don't do anything stupid, because the industry is small, indeed its made smaller by the internet, which breaks down boundaries between people, and word spreads. like wildfire.

stories and poetry
i'm sorry, but this isnt gonna happen! not because i'm unwilling, but because i havent written an essay since i was 16, and i don't think i should start right now.

life as a gamer in SG context
in singapore, many things and people and communities are marginalised. gaming is just one of them. while there are passionate people, society at large is a practical (and traditional) entity. as long as it doesnt make business sense, gaming won't grow to be anything.
however singapore is one of the most connected countries, in the world. gaming, facebook surfing statistics, wifi availability, all of these are very clear indicators.
government bodies do not recognise gaming, i think they've filed it away as a "problem" and keep an eye on it, but in general, they have no idea what to do about it.
the press often talks about the worst of gaming, and attributes the worst of youth problems to it.
11 out of 10 parents will tell you that gaming is the worst thing that happened to their kid. (yes, that's not a typo)

life when i'm not gaming
i sleep, i eat... i go out. i chill, watch serials... i go to the beach for tanning sessions i go out on photography walk abouts.

i enjoy travelling, when i can.

i guess i'm pretty normal? i like catching prawns and rubbing my cats belly... which brings me to the next point...

cats
http://youtu.be/CU6MXKAsugw
nuff said.
but well, i'll add in some recent photos of a very beloved cat, called mimi.

i also like taking photos of random cats. in fact, i have a facebook page with a few friends, and we share the photos which we take there. (ok mostly i do)

my bad side
i'm antisocial. really. i don't enjoy making small talk with people and meeting new faces, most of the time.
i'm impatient, and very snappy. this means that i make a very bad teacher.
and i have few friends. those i DO consider friends, are people who are very close to me.

men
wud? i have nothing to say about this.

vonvon's awesomeness.
definitely not saying anything about this. *cough*absolutely not *cough* awesome*cough*.


***
and so it ends. my first post in a mega long time.
hopefully the next one won't be too long after this one......