What’s the role of a caster is in StarCraft? How are you able to keep up with the action effectively and analyze strategies on the fly? What sort of toll does a nonstop casting session like this weekend’s MLG take on you?

After being a player for so long, keeping up with the action during a game is instinctive. Being a player also trains you to analyze the small pieces of information to narrow down possible strategies. Casting in StarCraft goes beyond just following the game though. You have to make it fun and accessible for new viewers without annoying seasoned veterans with too much fluff. You have to get excited at key moments without yelling and losing your voice. There’s also a lot of down time between games where you have to entertain the audience. You can only spend so much time talking about the players and map, making predictions, etc. When you run out of that, you need to be prepared to tell stories, jokes, and interact with the audience.

When I’m doing this nonstop through a weekend, I promptly go back to my hotel room at the end of the day and pass out every night. It takes a lot of energy to be on camera so long every day, especially since I fly out to these events right after my 5th Daily show for the week.

There are some little tricks and adjustments I’ve learned to help.  For example, I drink gallons of water and hot tea throughout the day so I don’t lose my voice. I schedule time to meet with fans during breaks in the event while I still have energy.  I try to nap the day before a show.