Good commentator qualities

[DELICIOUS]

OK so I'm looking to start commentating and I wanted some feedback from the community about their opinion on what makes a commentator good or bad. Basically annoying habits commentators have, or stuff that you're sick of commentators constantly doing.

Like oh I like [commentator] because they _______.
Or
Oh jeez I can't stand [commentator] because _______.

 

[Minato]

For me, I like commentators that can offer a lot of insight to what's going into the match. I never really broke it down before until what made me enjoy certain commentators until I saw Viscant commentate Marvel 3. For the game, there's not that many good commentators. A lot of them try to just do some fake hype or analogies and that certainly gets annoying. Viscant broke down thought processes of a player mid-match while not taking too long by missing what was happening next. He was giving the proper play by play but I ended up knowing more about the game in a single sitting compared to stream monstering multiple past tourneys.

The Good:

Good public speaker
Has a bit of humor
Good dynamic with a co-commentator
Gives insight on choices made in a match
Knows how to introduce the players

The Bad:

Gives too much dead time during a match (there's always stuff to say. During a long combo, talk about what's next that they'll do)
Relying on memes and running them into the ground
Being loud and annoying as opposed to hyping the match properly
Commentating on stuff that's redundant
Busy reading the stream chat during a match
Preoccupied by eating or looking at their phone


People being hype commentators isn't a bad thing, but I feel like it's skill. If you don't have it, pushing it can just come off really bad.

 

[Richtea007]

Good

• Some humour is good (but not when laughter fills up at least 15 seconds)
• Good Knowledge of match ups and good terminology
• A clear voice doesn't hurt
• Enthusiasm

Bad:

• Constantly talking over or interrupting the other commentator
• Commentating as if it's a boxing match
• Some bias towards certain players/characters

 

[Ravine]

It is more personality, rather than voice. Relying on a sexy voice or whatever is useless because your job is to bring awareness and insight to the game, not to turn on little boys.

Good:
* Not pandering or relying on annoying/cheap conversational pieces, such as memes, standup jokes, or whatever
*Actually commenting on the game, providing deep insight of the situation
*Having your commentary accessible, meaning people actually understand you

Bad:
*Some narcissistic lunatic who thinks he can actually narrate because of he thinks his voice is good or whatever (hint: it's not)
*No one wants to hear you admire your own voice over the mic. Seriously WTF?
*Using extremely repetitive phrases like "step it up" over and over again.
*Being boring and have no substance.


I don't mind about being biased about certain characters as long as the narrator is making it clear that he favors a certain character and is explaining the reasoning behind it. I like someone that takes a stance and can back it up. It opens up discussion.

 

[oZzIIgk]

I love commentators who can make a game I've never played seem like the most commonplace thing ever. I was able to learn how to watch a DOTA map competently simply from watching a few pro DOTA matches and listening to the casters.

 

[ArikadoSD]

Don't be like Max Ketchum or w/e the **** his name is, the Falcon player.

I can't stand the guy because he forces his opinions down all his viewers throats, and acts as if they were true. He also doesn't know what he's talking about most of the time. There's no shame if you don't know what something is, don't assume that it's what you think it is when you're not sure and ask the other commentator/the chat or whatever.

One distinct thing that made me really dislike him is that he once said Rosalina was actually really overrated and that Olimar is actually a better character. When later corrected by both his co-commentator and the chat he said "no I actually think Olimar is better"

There are a few other incidents akin to that one but I can't remember them right now.

Keitaro, D1, and EE are also solid commentators.

I used to like Coney and TK but sometimes they try to be funny all the time which just doesn't suit the mood of the match, and they also tend to repeat the things they think are funny/amusing, most recent thing is TK's extreme overuse of the word "scoops".

Also don't be that commentator who commentates a game he doesn't play. Just don't.

 

[Frizz]

Well, I would say they would need to have a good and soothing voice to listen to, but that's completely opinionated, among other qualities. So really, they should know what they're talking about and all other positive qualities aforementioned.