The Normalization of Fighting Game Commentary
By Jonathan Schrader
Prefix
The idea of normalizing fighting game commentary is not to restrict commentators regarding what they say, but to enable them by giving them a tool in order to structure their process of commentary. All information provided in the following documentation is from my experience and analysis of commentary. It also includes some information other commentators have iterated by some means or have told me, but this information is still to be viewed as only suggestion. Good commentary comes from an individual's fervent desire to communicate passionately the game they love.
About the author:
My name is Jonathan Schrader, and go by the tag of ‘Schrader’, previously ‘The ToolBag.’
I have commentated Smash competitions in Florida for over 4 years, and am currently the commentary manager for Polaritygg in Central Florida. I have been privileged to view and deliver to the user some of the best melee content an audience could ask for. This carries a heavy burden, but also a hopeful one, in which I can strive to create a new workflow and process for commentary for the viewer to have the best possible experience. I have commentated at the following events: CEO, STR, Come to Papa, Smash Conference, The Smash House, and Tampa Never Sleeps.
- Table of Contents -
Part 1: Process
Part 1 - The Process
Why Commentate?
I think the first thing to address is the drive to commentate. There are a many good reasons to commentate: the exposure, the voice, the excitement, and the experience. But the most important reason to commentate above all else is to be the voice of the people.
‘Your job in commentary is to be the bridge between the people and the game’
-Nebtune
The commentator is the foundation of a stream. Although tournaments can run without them, commentators are the ones who provide an entertaining experience and pull viewers into the community. These two things are the most important aspects of your commentary. Entertaining and informing in all aspects.
Commentating for yourself should never come first. When you commentate for yourself it shows and you are less entertaining. When the castor genuinely feels excitement, the audience does too, and it resonates.
Identify the Audience
There are three broad groups of viewers for whom to commentate.
We will call these groups:
Viewers, Players & Competitors
Viewers are your broadest group. These are individuals who may play casually or competitive with friends, but never go to tournaments and most likely tune in at larger tournaments and nationals. You cannot assume that these players know the technical or competitive aspect of the game. These players know characters, some big players and some basic moves. Because of this information, appeal to these aspects. Talk about ins and outs of characters. About players and their backstories. About attributes of characters and their moves. It is also a good idea to inform the audience of the descriptions on specific attributes or mechanics of the game.
Players are your largest audience at almost all times. These are people who go to tournaments but don’t usually travel. These are non-national competitors. They know players, characters, tech, and some rivalries. Talk about all these things at a deeper level and also create player stories. These players love and live for hype, but they also love new information and character/matchup specific information.
Competitors are a smaller group but will often view smaller streams for specific players. These competitors know the most players and their mains. They also know of rivalries and sometimes competitor records. They think of the game more competitively and think about the mental game and not just the frame data game. However, frame data, rivalries, records, deeper tech and competitive mind games are what you want to talk about for these viewers. Don’t get it wrong though, because misinformation is your biggest mistake and these viewers are the biggest critics and can discredit you if they have a large following. Be careful.
Make sure to address these three groups broadly, not focusing on any particular one. Try to hit points that interest each group back and forth.
The Medium
Let’s talk about the evolution of Smash commentary, Fighting Game commentary and e-sports general commentary. Identify the methods in each of these styles that are effective, then adapt them with your own flair. Hit on each of them, but don’t let your commentary suffer because of them. Commentators quickly become monotonous if they do not seek to be innovative and fresh. You don’t have to act overly bro-ish just because melee as a scene usually does. This is not a style that should be used in every environment, but can be blended in-between matches.
As streamers and entertainers, we have to adapt with the constant evolution of what it means to ‘entertain’ an ever changing audience – Why is the viewer watching?
We should be innovators for our medium, adapting and using the medium in new ways. Keeping our eyes attentive at all times. It is also important to observe old methods that work. In the casting sense, watch other streamers, and also commentary from sports like soccer and basketball or other e-sports like League of Legends and Overwatch.
No one delved far into this shift in production and streaming yet, so it’s our opportunity to step outside the box and create the best content.
Normalization Process - Game Analysis
The ‘Process’ is the guidelines or timeline of a commentary schedule and flow of a broadcast.
The process is in no way to restrict the commentator, but empower them with knowledge of the flow of the broadcast so they don’t feel stuck or forced as a commentator, but provide the best information and content for the viewer.
The idea is to understand how the process of the structure of the event works, so it becomes second nature to you. If a player is in winners semis, they are guaranteed at least 5th place in that event. You should not even have to think or be confused about this on stream. It is the same with the process of matches and how you engage in them.
Pre-match should be spent talking about players, pre-analysis, and early predictions. Matches should be spent in play-by-play, color commentary, and only micro-analysis. Between matches, recap analysis and important aspects of the match. Post-match reflect on a deeper analysis and advertisers. These are all parts of the match analysis, but differ from the interaction analysis.
PROCESS FLOW
Introduction:
Pre-Match:
Match:
Between-Matches:
Post-Match:
Commercials and/or Outro:
Normalization Process - Interaction Analysis
A commentator affects five groups of people when they are commentating.
Interacting with the streamer: Interaction with the streamer should be almost completely non-verbal in order to not pull from user engagement. Hand signs and signaling are great ways to communicate. Remove the mic, if you have to update them on something and if you are not on camera. If the streamer contacts the commentators through headset or otherwise, the lead commentator should listen for instructions on how to direct the flow of commentary, while the support commentator should keep talking to keep the flow of commentary going and support the audience.
Interacting with your co-commentator: This will be discussed more in later sections, but the key point to remember is we don’t only communicate with our voices, but also our expressions and body language. With this in mind, interact with hand signs when you want to follow up on a point or say something new. Look at your co-commentator every once in awhile to create a better connection with them. Signal information to them on the screen in necessary.
Interacting with the viewers: The viewers are a living, breathing, interactive audience. With streaming, we have some of the closest interactions with the audience than we have ever had when it comes to commentary. For this fact alone, I do not think the audience should be ignored. Although, directly interacting with the stream chat is unprofessional at a larger tournament, when you commentate, don’t be afraid to address some of your points to the audience.
Part 2 - Commentary Flow
Five Points of Influence
The Audience: The audience is your biggest viewership and the one that you have the most influence over. This is a great responsibility. Remember that the audience is comprised of viewers, players and competitors, so make sure you appeal to all of them. Don’t spread false information is rule number 1. Be entertaining is rule number 2.
The Players: Making the players look bad on stream will not only deter them from returning to tournaments, but it also will make them look bad to others. Always hype up every player when they deserve it, and be constructive and positive. Don’t assume mistakes, but highlight punishes and/or good executions.
The Stream: If you are getting paid by the streamers, don’t make them look bad or you might not be invited back. Don’t highlight technical issues. If something is forgotten, and you are not on camera, move the mic from your mouth and let them know quietly.
Your Co-Caster: Do not make your co-commentator look bad. That makes you look bad and people won’t want to cast with you. Engage with them. Influence the conversation. Stay positive. Do not ignore them and above all, do not talk over them. Don’t interrupt them unless absolutely necessary. If you do, do it tactfully, and respond to their commentary and shift the direction.
Yourself: You brand yourself in commentary. Don’t talk about yourself during a match, people don’t care. Be natural, and don’t force anything. Don’t hurt your rapport by cursing or being negative. Engage so that you are exciting to the audience and enjoyable to your co-caster.
Commentator Roles
I firmly believe that any two people can commentate and have synergy between each other. Two individuals may be terrible at play-by-play and both good at color commentary, or the complete opposite. I don’t think this is necessarily a issue if it is handled correctly.
Here is what it comes down to. There should always be a ‘Lead’ and always be a ‘Support’ commentator. These roles should be defined before a block, or be implicit enough to be able to determine.
So what’s the difference between a Lead & Support? What you need to know is that the lead commentator leads the discussion and direction of the discussion. They are in charge of when to shift focus and conversation. They are not supposed to dominate the conversation, but when back and forth happens, they are in charge of moving it along. Framing the conversation is the lead’s role, but framing the topic is the supports role. The lead should always have the process in the back of their mind, to deliver situations for a more interesting listening and viewing experience.
A support usually is the color commentator, but also provides great analysis and storyline. Just think about Scar without Toph in Melee, and how good Toph is at framing conversation after Scar frames the topic. Supports have more freedom with what they say, but conversation is key with this role. Building the narrative makes listening more enjoyable and gives the support more opportunities to use humor and energy in their presentation.
What happens when two leads have to commentate together? Well one of them ultimately has to become the support just for the flow of commentary to not feel stiff. If support is not your biggest strength, you can always focus on conversation and interpersonal ideas in connection with the game. These conversations anyone can have even if they aren’t the funniest person in the world. The most important thing is to not try to be something you are not. Don’t be a cringe-worthy commentator unless that’s your shtick. Instead, focus on other aspects of support that you are good at. The two different roles are way too broad for any person to not be able to lead and support.
What happens when two different supports have to commentate together? Define the lead, and whoever is the lead just has to be careful of one thing: not getting lost in conversation. When two supports sit down, their commentary can be some of the best and most enjoyable to listen to, as long as to doesn’t completely stray from the match. Look at Phil and HMW from Melee as a great example. At heart, they are both color and support type commentators (Or at least lean toward color commentary), and have the best synergy in the commentator game for Melee, but HMW does a good job at leading the conversation and directing it. Phil also understands HMW’s lead and supports him amazingly well, making the conversation extremely entertaining, but also keeping it relevant.
Stream & Commentator Synergy
Have you ever been watching a stream and the interaction between the commentators and streamer got really awkward? This kind of situation can almost always be avoided by just remembering a few things.
First off, your audience are the viewers. Try not to break the interconnectivity between you, your co-commentator, and them. You shouldn’t directly talk to the streamer unless they have a mic as well and the stream can hear them. The only time you should direct your voice to the streamer is if you need to ask them something urgent. In this situation, remove the mic and make sure your co-commentator is covering you.
If the streamer knows the flow of the commentary process, and they most likely will since they define most of it structurally, it will be easier to not break the flow of production and conversation. This means, the commentators will know when advertisements are coming up, and the streamer will know when to start displaying them. It’s a bit deeper than this, but the streamer is actually the defining conversation lead by choosing what to display to the commentators, unless they react to what the casters are commentating on at the time.
Commentator Synergy
Welcome to the cornerstone topic, the one that is the foundation for an entertaining and positive experience. Finding synergy with your co-commentator is like finding a person who instantly becomes one of your friends. Good synergy is like an engaging conversation, and really, good commentary should be treated that way. An engagement of conversation between not only you two but also the audience.
Now that we are on the topic of synergy, let’s talk about the easiest indicator of poor synergy: interruptions. Now I’m not going to say that interruptions are never warranted, but I think they are VERY detrimental to flow. Interrupting your co-commentator tells the listener that you don’t respect what they have to say, don’t care about what they have to say, and aren’t listening to what they have to say. So sometimes something hype happens, and you react and that’s fine. But you should not interrupt your co-commentator in this instance, because if they are a good commentator, they will lead into what just happened, and if they don’t, you can always reference it later or use it for analysis material after the match. Good synergy is listening to what your co-commentator has to say and bouncing off them or shifting the conversation at the right moment. At the end of the day, just don’t step on eggshells. If you don’t feel comfortable, just try to adapt and get in your own comfort zone. But as long as you aren’t putting your co-commentator into an uncomfortable situation, things should work out for you.
So sometimes you and your co-caster are going to have a similar style. This isn’t a bad thing, because you can bounce off each other better, but you might have to assert yourself less where you usually do, and assert yourself more in the field you are not used to. Sometimes your co-commentator will be over-assertive and in situations like that, it can be intimidating. In these situations, just don’t back down on your statements and thoughts. Hopefully, your co-commentator will get a feel of your style more, and give you more opportunities to speak or at least feel out for when you want to speak.
At the end of the day, just listen to what they have to say. Commentary will run more smoothly for both of you and it is easy to stay on topic while containing a nice duality.
Energy & Entertainment
Let’s break this up, and then put it together.
Energy is a foundation of entertainment. When watching someone get passionate, we find affinity with that individual. Emotions are what connect us and keep us involved with each other. Fake emotions are easily spotted though. So what then? Well don’t fake excitement. The easy solution is to determine what you find exciting about the game, (the people, matchups, characters, gameplay, art) and then get excited in those aspects. As humans, we can easily determine if a human is being true to themselves, and when we see that authenticity in others, it influences us and makes us excited as well.
Now on the entertainment side it gets a bit trickier. Entertainment is very relative, but blandness is not. This is where energy comes into entertainment. The easiest form of entertainment is energy. After that, entertainment gets into the realm of what makes you unique as a commentator. Sometimes entertainment can be as simple as a great conversation & synergy with your co-commentator. Some commentators make great pop culture references or land puns (TK and EE), some tell stories (Scar and Toph). The important thing is to determine your niche and then engage the audience. This has some reference to individual commentary uniqueness as well
What is Discussion
Discussion is something we engage in with our co-commentator to build synergy and connection, fill time between sets, and to help involve the audience. Even though the audience isn’t with us, we as commentators should have a seamless discussion that allows the audience to feel like they are a part of it. It’s not till during the match that we should shift are speech methodology to more descriptors to describe to the audience.
Remember that every instance of commentary is for audience’s engagement, but since we don’t directly talk to the audience face to face, and the audience doesn’t directly talk back to us, we should try to create this connection between our co-commentator through discussion, so that the audience feels like they are a part of the discussion (Like a panel).
To create good discussion, just act comfortable. Sure, you are having a discussion in front of hundreds to thousands of people, but that doesn’t differ from your comfortability. Remember that fighting games are grassroots, and that camaraderie is something that sets us apart. This should be utilized to make our commentary something unique and fresh, while still holding a professional prowess.
Dealing with a Dominant/Submissive Co-Commentator
Let’s be honest for a second. Real talk time. Commentators that dominate their co-commentators make viewing experiences suck. This is a super double edged sword, because sometimes a commentator will not try to dominate the conversation but their co-commentator will be overly submissive or quiet. Sometimes it can be hard to pull the words out of your co-commentator. This is where discussion plays a big role. Let’s address both situations really quick.
Dealing with a Dominant Co-Commentator:
You can always tell who you are dealing with, as soon as you realize you don’t exist to your co-commentator. These are commentators who never look at you and only look at the screen. These are commentators that don’t build off of you and always change the subject. Don’t be this commentator. It’s one of the most annoying things in the world, but there is a way to handle. First off, don’t back down. If you want to say something, don’t let them talk over you or interrupt you. Sometimes you need to be aggressive and use hand motions to let them know you want to talk. Now this can sometimes be intimidating, so if you don’t want to be so assertive, then make a point to ask your co-commentators questions that they can't turn down, such as what their opinion is on something that they were just talking about. Remember that you are going to be the supporting commentator in these instances, so you want to shape discussion and engage in entertainment. Try your hardest to bounce off them and try to engage with them.
Now when dealing with an overly passive commentator you should do the exact same thing. Bounce off their opinions, but first create the conversation by asking them questions. Everyone has opinions, and if a commentator is not saying much, you are forced to be the Lead. That means that you can draw out the energy in them by asking them questions and engaging with them. This is why discussion is so important in fight games. Other E-Sports games can become so fast paced that the commentators have to cast play-by-play most of the time, but fighting games give a little wiggle room for micro-analysis and conversation.
Remember that there is such a thing as too much conversation that can draw away from the match, but simply addressing you co-commentator can start a bounce off style that can lead to some great synergy. At the end of the day, you don’t ever want to delegitimize your co-commentator because it can paint you in a villainous way and it can paint them in an ignorant way.
Part 3 - Commentator Individualism and Skills
The Art of Commentary
Like anything, attributing something as an art form or a way to express your own individuality but still providing something for other people to enjoy allows for an amazing sense of drive and passion. Commentary at its heart is an art form, just like fighting games are. But the difference is that we don’t have to worry about competitiveness and can focus all our time into creativity which is one of the best feelings. Commentary can sometimes feel like the most satisfying conversation while also watching something you thoroughly enjoy. If you commentate for the people and your love of the game you will always find more gratuity then if you commentate for your own self gain. If you have a positive mindset about commentary and self-improvement then you will enjoy it much more then if you treat it like a job. Even if it is your job. The more you enjoy yourself, the more your audience will enjoy you.
What Makes you Unique
No one can tell you how to be unique, because it's just something that we are. All of us are unique, but how we present that uniqueness makes us memorable. We want to stick in people’s minds. We want to make people want to listen to us. Energy is something you can work on. Knowledge is something you can work on. Wordplay is something you can work on. Your character and personality is something that grows over time. Of course, this doesn’t mean you should not try to identify your strengths in your character. Try to find that niche of yours and build upon it. If you are able to get to the point that others know you for that specific niche, that's what makes you unique. At the end of the day, this niche is a part of who you are as a person. This is what viewers can identify or find connection in, and it can also greatly improve all of your aspects of commentary.
The Shift
The downtime after a set, the commercials, a game that suddenly becomes overly defensive, no one being able to find Wizzrobe. These are all examples of what we can call the shift. A quick shift in pace in which we should not only change up our commentary style, but we can use these instances to to shift our framing. These are instances in which we can address in a variety of ways, but I want to focus the downtime between games in particular.
Unless you are casting top 8 matches, your viewers are probably be multitasking while viewing in-between matches. That's just how viewership is evolving and it is our job as castors to be aware of an adaptation in audience and viewership, and try to play to that change. Now that being said, in-between matches are when players aren’t necessarily watching, but they are probably listening. Sometimes, this can prove a predicament, like walking a tightrope, you have to be aware of what it too little or too much. I think these are great opportunities for discussion or times to address the audience. It’s important to not provide misinformation in these instances, because your viewers will pick it up. It’s also important to not push discussion too far or to have the drive to fill the void with your voice in this downtime too, because it is the fastest way for people to get annoyed by you. Don’t talk too much. It’s a very hard balance and something that can be improved on with time. At the end of the day, just focus on the current topics: post match analysis, future predictions, advertisements, the rest of the bracket, game topics and introductions for upcoming matches.
In synopsis, try to identify when you are in the shift, and adapt accordingly.
What is Professionalism?
Let’s talk about the controversial topic of professionalism. One thing that I believe that not everyone will agree on is that professionalism isn’t as much what you say, but how you say it. Now obviously you can’t say anything you want, but we all know that there is a big difference between a kid making fart jokes and an adult making complex innuendo. Now, let’s be clear. Professional commentary is void of any talk of sexuality, slurs, and commentators should never curse words past the PG to PG-13 level (none preferably), but think about it this way. If the word you use has a negative connotation of someone's identity, one should avoid saying it. Remember, this doesn’t mean someone's direct trait, but something that they may find identity in. In includes sexuality, culture, race and religion. This is why people should avoid saying ‘Oh my God’ as much as they shouldn’t use any form of word or phrase that would bastardize someone’s identity in their race, sexuality or mental state.
As I said before, fighting are grassroots. There is a culture here that pre-dates esports and pre-dates the norm of professionalism in the way that esports has taken it. This in a way is why fighting game commentary shouldn’t try to re-define itself, but to adapt to a growing culture on the big stage. The history of the Fighting Game Community and its players allow for commentators to be characterized like the players. Also remember that casting esports has a much closer interaction between its viewers than any previous streamlined athletic event ever has. This shouldn’t be something we don’t adapt commentary to as a whole. We should embrace this scenario to draw in a bigger audience that wants to watch, compete and be involved. This is why we sometimes see interaction between Twitter and the stream. This is something that should be embraced but it should not detract from the overall experience in which the match and discussion sufferers. It’s all about the flow of the game that translates into the flow of the broadcast.
How to Improve Knowledge
Knowledge is not just knowledge of the game, but of the community as a whole. As a commentator, it is good to have an overall understanding of the game, community and players, but what makes you unique to be niche in one of these aspects. Some casters have a great understanding of players and match history, who players have beat, who they’ve lost to, where they are from, who they main. Some people have great game data knowledge. Frame data as well as attributes. Matchups and stage data. Knowing the community attributes to player stories and events that have happened and understanding of the rich history of the scene to this point.
The most important thing I would argue is game knowledge. Not just frame data, but just the game as a whole, because at the end of the day, the most basic viewer is watching the game that is being played and only some viewers watch only to watch specific players play. Your knowledge should relate to how you can communicate the different aspects of the game. What is happening and how it happened is what you will be talking about most of the time when commentating. Attributes of the game/characters are an even more important from a commentator's perspective when describing elements of the game, because they are easier to understand then frame data is.
To improve all this knowledge: watch, play, read.
Watching will give you the best knowledge on players, community and the game.
Playing will give you better insight on combos, matchups, and understanding the competitive nature of neutral, reads, and mindsets.
Reading will give you the statistical insight and numbers you may want to reference on the mic, such as frame data, and tournament results.
When casting, it isn’t bad to have a few sources open on a monitor or phone for informational purposes. Brackets are always helpful, but there are also a bunch of great sites that can provide frame data, game attributes and player histories.
How to Improve Execution
Sometimes we stutter. Some of us are soft spoken. Sometimes our delivery isn’t the best, but we can always improve our own control. Two rules to remember when pondering your own execution problem. Be comfortable. Don’t overthink.
Another thing to remember about execution is that you should know what you want to say before you say it. Frame the idea and then deliver it. If you are just doing play-by-play then just practice. Slow down if you can’t keep up. Improving execution has a lot to do with practice, but it also helps to do voice exercises before a block and to practice speaking quickly.
The more involved you get with the commentary, the more it engulfs you, the better your execution will become naturally as your speech will become much more free flowing.
How to Improve Framing
When I say framing, I don’t mean frame data. I’m talking about how you frame your words and statements. Framing has a lot to do with execution of a statement, but instead of the way you say it, it is how you say it. By crafting the points you want to cover in your conversation and play-by-play statements or analysis, you are better able to convey an idea. Framing has a lot more to do with explanation then it has to do with entertainment. We as commentators want to frame a statement well, so that an audience of every level knows exactly what we are trying to communicate to them and exactly what they just saw from every in and out possible that we can portray.
So how are you going to improve your framing? A lot if it is practice in just argumentation, but if you want an easy way to get better faster, just make sure you know what you want to say about something before you say it. After you know what you are going to say, think about how you can construct it through word play, verb and adjective usage, and the overarching viewpoint of the situation.
How to Improve Word-Play
Have you ever tried to freestyle rap before? I’m sure you’ve quickly realized how hard it is to keep coming up with interesting things to say before you are repeating phrases and rhymes. So what do you do to improve your word play? Well it starts in normal conversation. When talking to anybody or writing anything, just try to describe what you want to say differently. Work on learning and using different words in your normal everyday life. The words you use don’t have to be overly complex but simply have to describe a situation differently. Just the different ways we can say the word ‘HIT’ alone is monumental. Bashed, marked, sniped, rocked, whipped and smacked. Not only can you use all the previous words in place of the word hit, but all those words can better describe a situation and the move that a player was hit, bached, whipped or rocked by.
Why improve the word game? Honestly it just makes the game more gripping. A good show that has a great premise can often be ruined by poor writing. You are one of the artists during a match, and you are painting a word picture for the audience to visualize. Help them visualize it. Just imagine everyone is not watching but just simply listening to the stream. Then use that as a tactic to improve your word play.
Misinformation
The number one mistake a commentator can make is delivering misinformation. That's why all four of the previous topics are very important to understand. Framing your words and how you present your knowledge delivers the best execution without delivering misinformation. Misinformation is the first thing you will be called out on, and it is the biggest thing that can delegitimize you as a commentator.
If you don’t know something, then don’t be cocky. Don’t be afraid to say ‘I think’. Never frame something as an absolute unless it is. Even if something can be perceived as probably true, don’t assume it’s true. This is especially true of something that is a relative idea such as matchups. Have you ever noticed how matchup charts always have characters beating another character, but then the opposite matchup chart has them winning the same matchup. This is a great example of something you can’t frame as absolute without facing a bit of fallout.
In the end, your words matter with your commentary career. Remember that you are the voice of the people and you want to provide them the best information and best content. Being ‘right’ is not really important, as long as what you say is true.
For dealing with a co-commentator that says something that is straight wrong, see section four of this document.
Part 4 - Suggestions & Tips
Dealing with Pronouns
Tricky subject, but if you are commentating for a player that’s gender or gender identity is not defined, or you do not feel comfortable calling them a specific gender, this is understandable, but being rude and calling them something else is worse. An easy way around this situation is just use the pronoun of the character the player is playing from that character’s perspective, or just use the player’s tag. You don’t want to step on eggshells, but you should not be forced as a commentator to step on eggshells either.
Lingering
You’ve been in this situation before in a conversation. You tend to get on a tangent and sometimes stray away from the point you were trying to make. In commentary, tangents can lead to you and the audience missing half the match, just because you started talking about the in-depth ideas and circumstances that make Marth a dumb character. Now this isn’t something you can’t talk about, but there is a time and place for everything. Watch out when starting to linger on a topic, especially during a match. If you realize you are doing it, try to navigate your discussion straight back into the match, and if you realize that your co-commentator is on a tangent, use your hands in a circular motion to let them know to finish the thought. Best not to interrupt unless they completely ignore you and keep lingering on their topic. If you have a great topic to discuss, you can mention the idea, but then choose to talk in depth about it in between sets. This is great downtime for listener engagement, but it also doesn’t cut into vods later on youtube.
Correcting Co-Commentators
Remember how we talked about how providing misinformation is the single worst thing you can do as a commentator? Well it is, but sometimes you have to deal with something that gets a bit trickier, and that is when your co-commentator commits this commentary sin.
How do you handle it?
The worst thing you can do in response is call them out on stream. Never ruin their reputation just because they made a mistake. Even if they are headstrong in their wrong, it's better to tell them off stream and let them try to fix their mistake later on the mic or on social media. Most of the time, the misinformation may be just a small error, but if the error is something that cannot be ignored, then you can always say something like ‘Oh really? I thought it was …’ or something else along those lines that can hopefully get out the truth, express the statement as something that may be false, or just offer a different opinion without them looking bad.
If someone ever calls you out for something when you were wrong. Just apologize and don’t make a big deal about it. These are small mistakes that can be overlooked and they help you become smarter as a commentator.
Alienating the Audience
This is simple and my final point. Don’t alienate an audience with purely game rhetoric. We will naturally use game rhetoric to describe what happens in the game (eg. Up-air, Up-B, Wavedash, L-cancel). Now a bunch of these phrases are pretty self descriptive, but at a large tournament with an even larger viewership, make sure to describe these phrases briefly, or let the audience know what they mean with context. I didn’t even know what a ‘Tournament Winner’ was until this year.
Final Statement
Evolution of a Medium
If I have any closing suggestion at the end of this, it would be to create your own commentary. Fighting game commentary hasn’t been normalized, although this might be the beginning. Our reach and audience is much more personal than any sport has been. Viewership and how an audience views a medium is growing, and evolving into something beautiful. Be innovative. Think of ways that you can change the commentary game for the positive. You have the opportunity to make an experience more enjoyable, innovative, and engulfing. Don’t feel like you need to follow the train. Don’t feel like you have to re-invent casting. Instead, build upon its strength and even out the edges. With this information on the process and normalization of fighting game commentary, my hope is that you are empowered by having an understanding of the process system, and you have more creative freedom with how you express yourself and entertain the audience.
Be the voice of the people.
This has been Schrader The ToolBag for Polaritygg. Thank you for your read.
Thanks to Nebtune, Logic, Keitaro, DireOnFire and Admiral Funk for insight on a bunch of these ideas.
By Jonathan Schrader
Prefix
The idea of normalizing fighting game commentary is not to restrict commentators regarding what they say, but to enable them by giving them a tool in order to structure their process of commentary. All information provided in the following documentation is from my experience and analysis of commentary. It also includes some information other commentators have iterated by some means or have told me, but this information is still to be viewed as only suggestion. Good commentary comes from an individual's fervent desire to communicate passionately the game they love.
About the author:
My name is Jonathan Schrader, and go by the tag of ‘Schrader’, previously ‘The ToolBag.’
I have commentated Smash competitions in Florida for over 4 years, and am currently the commentary manager for Polaritygg in Central Florida. I have been privileged to view and deliver to the user some of the best melee content an audience could ask for. This carries a heavy burden, but also a hopeful one, in which I can strive to create a new workflow and process for commentary for the viewer to have the best possible experience. I have commentated at the following events: CEO, STR, Come to Papa, Smash Conference, The Smash House, and Tampa Never Sleeps.
- Table of Contents -
Part 1: Process
- Why Commentate?
- Identify the Audience
- The Medium
- Normalization Process - Match Analysis
- Normalization Process - Interaction Analysis
- Five Points of Influence
- Commentator Roles
- Stream & Commentator Synergy
- Commentary Synergy
- Energy & Entertainment
- What is Discussion?
- Dealing with Dominant/Submissive Co-Commentators
- The Art of Commentary
- What Makes You Unique?
- The Shift
- What is Professionalism?
- How to Improve Knowledge
- How to Improve Execution
- How to Improve Framing
- How to Improve Word-Play
- Misinformation
- Dealing with Pronouns
- Lingering
- Correcting Co-commentators
- Alienating the Audience
Part 1 - The Process
Why Commentate?
I think the first thing to address is the drive to commentate. There are a many good reasons to commentate: the exposure, the voice, the excitement, and the experience. But the most important reason to commentate above all else is to be the voice of the people.
‘Your job in commentary is to be the bridge between the people and the game’
-Nebtune
The commentator is the foundation of a stream. Although tournaments can run without them, commentators are the ones who provide an entertaining experience and pull viewers into the community. These two things are the most important aspects of your commentary. Entertaining and informing in all aspects.
Commentating for yourself should never come first. When you commentate for yourself it shows and you are less entertaining. When the castor genuinely feels excitement, the audience does too, and it resonates.
Identify the Audience
There are three broad groups of viewers for whom to commentate.
We will call these groups:
Viewers, Players & Competitors
Viewers are your broadest group. These are individuals who may play casually or competitive with friends, but never go to tournaments and most likely tune in at larger tournaments and nationals. You cannot assume that these players know the technical or competitive aspect of the game. These players know characters, some big players and some basic moves. Because of this information, appeal to these aspects. Talk about ins and outs of characters. About players and their backstories. About attributes of characters and their moves. It is also a good idea to inform the audience of the descriptions on specific attributes or mechanics of the game.
Players are your largest audience at almost all times. These are people who go to tournaments but don’t usually travel. These are non-national competitors. They know players, characters, tech, and some rivalries. Talk about all these things at a deeper level and also create player stories. These players love and live for hype, but they also love new information and character/matchup specific information.
Competitors are a smaller group but will often view smaller streams for specific players. These competitors know the most players and their mains. They also know of rivalries and sometimes competitor records. They think of the game more competitively and think about the mental game and not just the frame data game. However, frame data, rivalries, records, deeper tech and competitive mind games are what you want to talk about for these viewers. Don’t get it wrong though, because misinformation is your biggest mistake and these viewers are the biggest critics and can discredit you if they have a large following. Be careful.
Make sure to address these three groups broadly, not focusing on any particular one. Try to hit points that interest each group back and forth.
The Medium
Let’s talk about the evolution of Smash commentary, Fighting Game commentary and e-sports general commentary. Identify the methods in each of these styles that are effective, then adapt them with your own flair. Hit on each of them, but don’t let your commentary suffer because of them. Commentators quickly become monotonous if they do not seek to be innovative and fresh. You don’t have to act overly bro-ish just because melee as a scene usually does. This is not a style that should be used in every environment, but can be blended in-between matches.
As streamers and entertainers, we have to adapt with the constant evolution of what it means to ‘entertain’ an ever changing audience – Why is the viewer watching?
We should be innovators for our medium, adapting and using the medium in new ways. Keeping our eyes attentive at all times. It is also important to observe old methods that work. In the casting sense, watch other streamers, and also commentary from sports like soccer and basketball or other e-sports like League of Legends and Overwatch.
No one delved far into this shift in production and streaming yet, so it’s our opportunity to step outside the box and create the best content.
Normalization Process - Game Analysis
The ‘Process’ is the guidelines or timeline of a commentary schedule and flow of a broadcast.
The process is in no way to restrict the commentator, but empower them with knowledge of the flow of the broadcast so they don’t feel stuck or forced as a commentator, but provide the best information and content for the viewer.
The idea is to understand how the process of the structure of the event works, so it becomes second nature to you. If a player is in winners semis, they are guaranteed at least 5th place in that event. You should not even have to think or be confused about this on stream. It is the same with the process of matches and how you engage in them.
Pre-match should be spent talking about players, pre-analysis, and early predictions. Matches should be spent in play-by-play, color commentary, and only micro-analysis. Between matches, recap analysis and important aspects of the match. Post-match reflect on a deeper analysis and advertisers. These are all parts of the match analysis, but differ from the interaction analysis.
PROCESS FLOW
Introduction:
- Introduce Yourselves
- Welcome the Viewers to the Stream
- Introduce the Event
- Let the audience know what they should be excited about
Pre-Match:
- Introduce the players sitting down
- Discuss the characters they play and what the match up might look like
- If they have a record or rivalry, talk about that
- Make some early prediction (Nothing that overshadows the other player)
Match:
- Play-by-play commentary
- Micro-analysis
- Color-commentary
- Energy
Between-Matches:
- Small pickups and analysis
- Talk about what the loser could improve on
- Talk about pros from each player
- Repeat Match flow
Post-Match:
- Game Analysis
- Discuss the cornerstone of the match that shifted momentum
- Discuss things you would like to see from each of players in the future
- Talk about who the winner/loser might/will have to play next
- Mention sponsors of players and wins for their sponsors
Commercials and/or Outro:
- Read off commercials (enthusiastically, read more into advertising if this is something you want to focus on)
- Sign off, plug twitter, thank audience for tuning in
Normalization Process - Interaction Analysis
A commentator affects five groups of people when they are commentating.
- The Viewers
- The Stream
- The Players
- The Co-Commentator
- Yourself
Interacting with the streamer: Interaction with the streamer should be almost completely non-verbal in order to not pull from user engagement. Hand signs and signaling are great ways to communicate. Remove the mic, if you have to update them on something and if you are not on camera. If the streamer contacts the commentators through headset or otherwise, the lead commentator should listen for instructions on how to direct the flow of commentary, while the support commentator should keep talking to keep the flow of commentary going and support the audience.
Interacting with your co-commentator: This will be discussed more in later sections, but the key point to remember is we don’t only communicate with our voices, but also our expressions and body language. With this in mind, interact with hand signs when you want to follow up on a point or say something new. Look at your co-commentator every once in awhile to create a better connection with them. Signal information to them on the screen in necessary.
Interacting with the viewers: The viewers are a living, breathing, interactive audience. With streaming, we have some of the closest interactions with the audience than we have ever had when it comes to commentary. For this fact alone, I do not think the audience should be ignored. Although, directly interacting with the stream chat is unprofessional at a larger tournament, when you commentate, don’t be afraid to address some of your points to the audience.
Part 2 - Commentary Flow
Five Points of Influence
- The Audience
- The Competitors
- The Stream
- Your Co-caster
- Yourself
The Audience: The audience is your biggest viewership and the one that you have the most influence over. This is a great responsibility. Remember that the audience is comprised of viewers, players and competitors, so make sure you appeal to all of them. Don’t spread false information is rule number 1. Be entertaining is rule number 2.
The Players: Making the players look bad on stream will not only deter them from returning to tournaments, but it also will make them look bad to others. Always hype up every player when they deserve it, and be constructive and positive. Don’t assume mistakes, but highlight punishes and/or good executions.
The Stream: If you are getting paid by the streamers, don’t make them look bad or you might not be invited back. Don’t highlight technical issues. If something is forgotten, and you are not on camera, move the mic from your mouth and let them know quietly.
Your Co-Caster: Do not make your co-commentator look bad. That makes you look bad and people won’t want to cast with you. Engage with them. Influence the conversation. Stay positive. Do not ignore them and above all, do not talk over them. Don’t interrupt them unless absolutely necessary. If you do, do it tactfully, and respond to their commentary and shift the direction.
Yourself: You brand yourself in commentary. Don’t talk about yourself during a match, people don’t care. Be natural, and don’t force anything. Don’t hurt your rapport by cursing or being negative. Engage so that you are exciting to the audience and enjoyable to your co-caster.
Commentator Roles
I firmly believe that any two people can commentate and have synergy between each other. Two individuals may be terrible at play-by-play and both good at color commentary, or the complete opposite. I don’t think this is necessarily a issue if it is handled correctly.
Here is what it comes down to. There should always be a ‘Lead’ and always be a ‘Support’ commentator. These roles should be defined before a block, or be implicit enough to be able to determine.
So what’s the difference between a Lead & Support? What you need to know is that the lead commentator leads the discussion and direction of the discussion. They are in charge of when to shift focus and conversation. They are not supposed to dominate the conversation, but when back and forth happens, they are in charge of moving it along. Framing the conversation is the lead’s role, but framing the topic is the supports role. The lead should always have the process in the back of their mind, to deliver situations for a more interesting listening and viewing experience.
A support usually is the color commentator, but also provides great analysis and storyline. Just think about Scar without Toph in Melee, and how good Toph is at framing conversation after Scar frames the topic. Supports have more freedom with what they say, but conversation is key with this role. Building the narrative makes listening more enjoyable and gives the support more opportunities to use humor and energy in their presentation.
What happens when two leads have to commentate together? Well one of them ultimately has to become the support just for the flow of commentary to not feel stiff. If support is not your biggest strength, you can always focus on conversation and interpersonal ideas in connection with the game. These conversations anyone can have even if they aren’t the funniest person in the world. The most important thing is to not try to be something you are not. Don’t be a cringe-worthy commentator unless that’s your shtick. Instead, focus on other aspects of support that you are good at. The two different roles are way too broad for any person to not be able to lead and support.
What happens when two different supports have to commentate together? Define the lead, and whoever is the lead just has to be careful of one thing: not getting lost in conversation. When two supports sit down, their commentary can be some of the best and most enjoyable to listen to, as long as to doesn’t completely stray from the match. Look at Phil and HMW from Melee as a great example. At heart, they are both color and support type commentators (Or at least lean toward color commentary), and have the best synergy in the commentator game for Melee, but HMW does a good job at leading the conversation and directing it. Phil also understands HMW’s lead and supports him amazingly well, making the conversation extremely entertaining, but also keeping it relevant.
Stream & Commentator Synergy
Have you ever been watching a stream and the interaction between the commentators and streamer got really awkward? This kind of situation can almost always be avoided by just remembering a few things.
First off, your audience are the viewers. Try not to break the interconnectivity between you, your co-commentator, and them. You shouldn’t directly talk to the streamer unless they have a mic as well and the stream can hear them. The only time you should direct your voice to the streamer is if you need to ask them something urgent. In this situation, remove the mic and make sure your co-commentator is covering you.
If the streamer knows the flow of the commentary process, and they most likely will since they define most of it structurally, it will be easier to not break the flow of production and conversation. This means, the commentators will know when advertisements are coming up, and the streamer will know when to start displaying them. It’s a bit deeper than this, but the streamer is actually the defining conversation lead by choosing what to display to the commentators, unless they react to what the casters are commentating on at the time.
Commentator Synergy
Welcome to the cornerstone topic, the one that is the foundation for an entertaining and positive experience. Finding synergy with your co-commentator is like finding a person who instantly becomes one of your friends. Good synergy is like an engaging conversation, and really, good commentary should be treated that way. An engagement of conversation between not only you two but also the audience.
Now that we are on the topic of synergy, let’s talk about the easiest indicator of poor synergy: interruptions. Now I’m not going to say that interruptions are never warranted, but I think they are VERY detrimental to flow. Interrupting your co-commentator tells the listener that you don’t respect what they have to say, don’t care about what they have to say, and aren’t listening to what they have to say. So sometimes something hype happens, and you react and that’s fine. But you should not interrupt your co-commentator in this instance, because if they are a good commentator, they will lead into what just happened, and if they don’t, you can always reference it later or use it for analysis material after the match. Good synergy is listening to what your co-commentator has to say and bouncing off them or shifting the conversation at the right moment. At the end of the day, just don’t step on eggshells. If you don’t feel comfortable, just try to adapt and get in your own comfort zone. But as long as you aren’t putting your co-commentator into an uncomfortable situation, things should work out for you.
So sometimes you and your co-caster are going to have a similar style. This isn’t a bad thing, because you can bounce off each other better, but you might have to assert yourself less where you usually do, and assert yourself more in the field you are not used to. Sometimes your co-commentator will be over-assertive and in situations like that, it can be intimidating. In these situations, just don’t back down on your statements and thoughts. Hopefully, your co-commentator will get a feel of your style more, and give you more opportunities to speak or at least feel out for when you want to speak.
At the end of the day, just listen to what they have to say. Commentary will run more smoothly for both of you and it is easy to stay on topic while containing a nice duality.
Energy & Entertainment
Let’s break this up, and then put it together.
Energy is a foundation of entertainment. When watching someone get passionate, we find affinity with that individual. Emotions are what connect us and keep us involved with each other. Fake emotions are easily spotted though. So what then? Well don’t fake excitement. The easy solution is to determine what you find exciting about the game, (the people, matchups, characters, gameplay, art) and then get excited in those aspects. As humans, we can easily determine if a human is being true to themselves, and when we see that authenticity in others, it influences us and makes us excited as well.
Now on the entertainment side it gets a bit trickier. Entertainment is very relative, but blandness is not. This is where energy comes into entertainment. The easiest form of entertainment is energy. After that, entertainment gets into the realm of what makes you unique as a commentator. Sometimes entertainment can be as simple as a great conversation & synergy with your co-commentator. Some commentators make great pop culture references or land puns (TK and EE), some tell stories (Scar and Toph). The important thing is to determine your niche and then engage the audience. This has some reference to individual commentary uniqueness as well
What is Discussion
Discussion is something we engage in with our co-commentator to build synergy and connection, fill time between sets, and to help involve the audience. Even though the audience isn’t with us, we as commentators should have a seamless discussion that allows the audience to feel like they are a part of it. It’s not till during the match that we should shift are speech methodology to more descriptors to describe to the audience.
Remember that every instance of commentary is for audience’s engagement, but since we don’t directly talk to the audience face to face, and the audience doesn’t directly talk back to us, we should try to create this connection between our co-commentator through discussion, so that the audience feels like they are a part of the discussion (Like a panel).
To create good discussion, just act comfortable. Sure, you are having a discussion in front of hundreds to thousands of people, but that doesn’t differ from your comfortability. Remember that fighting games are grassroots, and that camaraderie is something that sets us apart. This should be utilized to make our commentary something unique and fresh, while still holding a professional prowess.
Dealing with a Dominant/Submissive Co-Commentator
Let’s be honest for a second. Real talk time. Commentators that dominate their co-commentators make viewing experiences suck. This is a super double edged sword, because sometimes a commentator will not try to dominate the conversation but their co-commentator will be overly submissive or quiet. Sometimes it can be hard to pull the words out of your co-commentator. This is where discussion plays a big role. Let’s address both situations really quick.
Dealing with a Dominant Co-Commentator:
You can always tell who you are dealing with, as soon as you realize you don’t exist to your co-commentator. These are commentators who never look at you and only look at the screen. These are commentators that don’t build off of you and always change the subject. Don’t be this commentator. It’s one of the most annoying things in the world, but there is a way to handle. First off, don’t back down. If you want to say something, don’t let them talk over you or interrupt you. Sometimes you need to be aggressive and use hand motions to let them know you want to talk. Now this can sometimes be intimidating, so if you don’t want to be so assertive, then make a point to ask your co-commentators questions that they can't turn down, such as what their opinion is on something that they were just talking about. Remember that you are going to be the supporting commentator in these instances, so you want to shape discussion and engage in entertainment. Try your hardest to bounce off them and try to engage with them.
Now when dealing with an overly passive commentator you should do the exact same thing. Bounce off their opinions, but first create the conversation by asking them questions. Everyone has opinions, and if a commentator is not saying much, you are forced to be the Lead. That means that you can draw out the energy in them by asking them questions and engaging with them. This is why discussion is so important in fight games. Other E-Sports games can become so fast paced that the commentators have to cast play-by-play most of the time, but fighting games give a little wiggle room for micro-analysis and conversation.
Remember that there is such a thing as too much conversation that can draw away from the match, but simply addressing you co-commentator can start a bounce off style that can lead to some great synergy. At the end of the day, you don’t ever want to delegitimize your co-commentator because it can paint you in a villainous way and it can paint them in an ignorant way.
Part 3 - Commentator Individualism and Skills
The Art of Commentary
Like anything, attributing something as an art form or a way to express your own individuality but still providing something for other people to enjoy allows for an amazing sense of drive and passion. Commentary at its heart is an art form, just like fighting games are. But the difference is that we don’t have to worry about competitiveness and can focus all our time into creativity which is one of the best feelings. Commentary can sometimes feel like the most satisfying conversation while also watching something you thoroughly enjoy. If you commentate for the people and your love of the game you will always find more gratuity then if you commentate for your own self gain. If you have a positive mindset about commentary and self-improvement then you will enjoy it much more then if you treat it like a job. Even if it is your job. The more you enjoy yourself, the more your audience will enjoy you.
What Makes you Unique
No one can tell you how to be unique, because it's just something that we are. All of us are unique, but how we present that uniqueness makes us memorable. We want to stick in people’s minds. We want to make people want to listen to us. Energy is something you can work on. Knowledge is something you can work on. Wordplay is something you can work on. Your character and personality is something that grows over time. Of course, this doesn’t mean you should not try to identify your strengths in your character. Try to find that niche of yours and build upon it. If you are able to get to the point that others know you for that specific niche, that's what makes you unique. At the end of the day, this niche is a part of who you are as a person. This is what viewers can identify or find connection in, and it can also greatly improve all of your aspects of commentary.
The Shift
The downtime after a set, the commercials, a game that suddenly becomes overly defensive, no one being able to find Wizzrobe. These are all examples of what we can call the shift. A quick shift in pace in which we should not only change up our commentary style, but we can use these instances to to shift our framing. These are instances in which we can address in a variety of ways, but I want to focus the downtime between games in particular.
Unless you are casting top 8 matches, your viewers are probably be multitasking while viewing in-between matches. That's just how viewership is evolving and it is our job as castors to be aware of an adaptation in audience and viewership, and try to play to that change. Now that being said, in-between matches are when players aren’t necessarily watching, but they are probably listening. Sometimes, this can prove a predicament, like walking a tightrope, you have to be aware of what it too little or too much. I think these are great opportunities for discussion or times to address the audience. It’s important to not provide misinformation in these instances, because your viewers will pick it up. It’s also important to not push discussion too far or to have the drive to fill the void with your voice in this downtime too, because it is the fastest way for people to get annoyed by you. Don’t talk too much. It’s a very hard balance and something that can be improved on with time. At the end of the day, just focus on the current topics: post match analysis, future predictions, advertisements, the rest of the bracket, game topics and introductions for upcoming matches.
In synopsis, try to identify when you are in the shift, and adapt accordingly.
What is Professionalism?
Let’s talk about the controversial topic of professionalism. One thing that I believe that not everyone will agree on is that professionalism isn’t as much what you say, but how you say it. Now obviously you can’t say anything you want, but we all know that there is a big difference between a kid making fart jokes and an adult making complex innuendo. Now, let’s be clear. Professional commentary is void of any talk of sexuality, slurs, and commentators should never curse words past the PG to PG-13 level (none preferably), but think about it this way. If the word you use has a negative connotation of someone's identity, one should avoid saying it. Remember, this doesn’t mean someone's direct trait, but something that they may find identity in. In includes sexuality, culture, race and religion. This is why people should avoid saying ‘Oh my God’ as much as they shouldn’t use any form of word or phrase that would bastardize someone’s identity in their race, sexuality or mental state.
As I said before, fighting are grassroots. There is a culture here that pre-dates esports and pre-dates the norm of professionalism in the way that esports has taken it. This in a way is why fighting game commentary shouldn’t try to re-define itself, but to adapt to a growing culture on the big stage. The history of the Fighting Game Community and its players allow for commentators to be characterized like the players. Also remember that casting esports has a much closer interaction between its viewers than any previous streamlined athletic event ever has. This shouldn’t be something we don’t adapt commentary to as a whole. We should embrace this scenario to draw in a bigger audience that wants to watch, compete and be involved. This is why we sometimes see interaction between Twitter and the stream. This is something that should be embraced but it should not detract from the overall experience in which the match and discussion sufferers. It’s all about the flow of the game that translates into the flow of the broadcast.
How to Improve Knowledge
Knowledge is not just knowledge of the game, but of the community as a whole. As a commentator, it is good to have an overall understanding of the game, community and players, but what makes you unique to be niche in one of these aspects. Some casters have a great understanding of players and match history, who players have beat, who they’ve lost to, where they are from, who they main. Some people have great game data knowledge. Frame data as well as attributes. Matchups and stage data. Knowing the community attributes to player stories and events that have happened and understanding of the rich history of the scene to this point.
The most important thing I would argue is game knowledge. Not just frame data, but just the game as a whole, because at the end of the day, the most basic viewer is watching the game that is being played and only some viewers watch only to watch specific players play. Your knowledge should relate to how you can communicate the different aspects of the game. What is happening and how it happened is what you will be talking about most of the time when commentating. Attributes of the game/characters are an even more important from a commentator's perspective when describing elements of the game, because they are easier to understand then frame data is.
To improve all this knowledge: watch, play, read.
Watching will give you the best knowledge on players, community and the game.
Playing will give you better insight on combos, matchups, and understanding the competitive nature of neutral, reads, and mindsets.
Reading will give you the statistical insight and numbers you may want to reference on the mic, such as frame data, and tournament results.
When casting, it isn’t bad to have a few sources open on a monitor or phone for informational purposes. Brackets are always helpful, but there are also a bunch of great sites that can provide frame data, game attributes and player histories.
How to Improve Execution
Sometimes we stutter. Some of us are soft spoken. Sometimes our delivery isn’t the best, but we can always improve our own control. Two rules to remember when pondering your own execution problem. Be comfortable. Don’t overthink.
Another thing to remember about execution is that you should know what you want to say before you say it. Frame the idea and then deliver it. If you are just doing play-by-play then just practice. Slow down if you can’t keep up. Improving execution has a lot to do with practice, but it also helps to do voice exercises before a block and to practice speaking quickly.
The more involved you get with the commentary, the more it engulfs you, the better your execution will become naturally as your speech will become much more free flowing.
How to Improve Framing
When I say framing, I don’t mean frame data. I’m talking about how you frame your words and statements. Framing has a lot to do with execution of a statement, but instead of the way you say it, it is how you say it. By crafting the points you want to cover in your conversation and play-by-play statements or analysis, you are better able to convey an idea. Framing has a lot more to do with explanation then it has to do with entertainment. We as commentators want to frame a statement well, so that an audience of every level knows exactly what we are trying to communicate to them and exactly what they just saw from every in and out possible that we can portray.
So how are you going to improve your framing? A lot if it is practice in just argumentation, but if you want an easy way to get better faster, just make sure you know what you want to say about something before you say it. After you know what you are going to say, think about how you can construct it through word play, verb and adjective usage, and the overarching viewpoint of the situation.
How to Improve Word-Play
Have you ever tried to freestyle rap before? I’m sure you’ve quickly realized how hard it is to keep coming up with interesting things to say before you are repeating phrases and rhymes. So what do you do to improve your word play? Well it starts in normal conversation. When talking to anybody or writing anything, just try to describe what you want to say differently. Work on learning and using different words in your normal everyday life. The words you use don’t have to be overly complex but simply have to describe a situation differently. Just the different ways we can say the word ‘HIT’ alone is monumental. Bashed, marked, sniped, rocked, whipped and smacked. Not only can you use all the previous words in place of the word hit, but all those words can better describe a situation and the move that a player was hit, bached, whipped or rocked by.
Why improve the word game? Honestly it just makes the game more gripping. A good show that has a great premise can often be ruined by poor writing. You are one of the artists during a match, and you are painting a word picture for the audience to visualize. Help them visualize it. Just imagine everyone is not watching but just simply listening to the stream. Then use that as a tactic to improve your word play.
Misinformation
The number one mistake a commentator can make is delivering misinformation. That's why all four of the previous topics are very important to understand. Framing your words and how you present your knowledge delivers the best execution without delivering misinformation. Misinformation is the first thing you will be called out on, and it is the biggest thing that can delegitimize you as a commentator.
If you don’t know something, then don’t be cocky. Don’t be afraid to say ‘I think’. Never frame something as an absolute unless it is. Even if something can be perceived as probably true, don’t assume it’s true. This is especially true of something that is a relative idea such as matchups. Have you ever noticed how matchup charts always have characters beating another character, but then the opposite matchup chart has them winning the same matchup. This is a great example of something you can’t frame as absolute without facing a bit of fallout.
In the end, your words matter with your commentary career. Remember that you are the voice of the people and you want to provide them the best information and best content. Being ‘right’ is not really important, as long as what you say is true.
For dealing with a co-commentator that says something that is straight wrong, see section four of this document.
Part 4 - Suggestions & Tips
Dealing with Pronouns
Tricky subject, but if you are commentating for a player that’s gender or gender identity is not defined, or you do not feel comfortable calling them a specific gender, this is understandable, but being rude and calling them something else is worse. An easy way around this situation is just use the pronoun of the character the player is playing from that character’s perspective, or just use the player’s tag. You don’t want to step on eggshells, but you should not be forced as a commentator to step on eggshells either.
Lingering
You’ve been in this situation before in a conversation. You tend to get on a tangent and sometimes stray away from the point you were trying to make. In commentary, tangents can lead to you and the audience missing half the match, just because you started talking about the in-depth ideas and circumstances that make Marth a dumb character. Now this isn’t something you can’t talk about, but there is a time and place for everything. Watch out when starting to linger on a topic, especially during a match. If you realize you are doing it, try to navigate your discussion straight back into the match, and if you realize that your co-commentator is on a tangent, use your hands in a circular motion to let them know to finish the thought. Best not to interrupt unless they completely ignore you and keep lingering on their topic. If you have a great topic to discuss, you can mention the idea, but then choose to talk in depth about it in between sets. This is great downtime for listener engagement, but it also doesn’t cut into vods later on youtube.
Correcting Co-Commentators
Remember how we talked about how providing misinformation is the single worst thing you can do as a commentator? Well it is, but sometimes you have to deal with something that gets a bit trickier, and that is when your co-commentator commits this commentary sin.
How do you handle it?
The worst thing you can do in response is call them out on stream. Never ruin their reputation just because they made a mistake. Even if they are headstrong in their wrong, it's better to tell them off stream and let them try to fix their mistake later on the mic or on social media. Most of the time, the misinformation may be just a small error, but if the error is something that cannot be ignored, then you can always say something like ‘Oh really? I thought it was …’ or something else along those lines that can hopefully get out the truth, express the statement as something that may be false, or just offer a different opinion without them looking bad.
If someone ever calls you out for something when you were wrong. Just apologize and don’t make a big deal about it. These are small mistakes that can be overlooked and they help you become smarter as a commentator.
Alienating the Audience
This is simple and my final point. Don’t alienate an audience with purely game rhetoric. We will naturally use game rhetoric to describe what happens in the game (eg. Up-air, Up-B, Wavedash, L-cancel). Now a bunch of these phrases are pretty self descriptive, but at a large tournament with an even larger viewership, make sure to describe these phrases briefly, or let the audience know what they mean with context. I didn’t even know what a ‘Tournament Winner’ was until this year.
Final Statement
Evolution of a Medium
If I have any closing suggestion at the end of this, it would be to create your own commentary. Fighting game commentary hasn’t been normalized, although this might be the beginning. Our reach and audience is much more personal than any sport has been. Viewership and how an audience views a medium is growing, and evolving into something beautiful. Be innovative. Think of ways that you can change the commentary game for the positive. You have the opportunity to make an experience more enjoyable, innovative, and engulfing. Don’t feel like you need to follow the train. Don’t feel like you have to re-invent casting. Instead, build upon its strength and even out the edges. With this information on the process and normalization of fighting game commentary, my hope is that you are empowered by having an understanding of the process system, and you have more creative freedom with how you express yourself and entertain the audience.
Be the voice of the people.
This has been Schrader The ToolBag for Polaritygg. Thank you for your read.
Thanks to Nebtune, Logic, Keitaro, DireOnFire and Admiral Funk for insight on a bunch of these ideas.
- Applicable Games
- Smash 64, Melee, Brawl, Project M, Smash 3DS, Smash Wii U
