You don't have to be particularly skillful with a controller to make money out of esports. If you don't have what it takes to become a professional player, you can still turn your love of gaming into a profitable career.
If you know what you're doing when it comes to streaming platforms and can commit to putting content out consistently, an annual salary of $75,000 is achievable. Looking to be lauded for your work? The Esports Awards now has a category catered just to casters. However, if you want to earn money and respect in this field, you'll probably want to avoid some of the mistakes these casters made.
5. One Caster Catches Forty Winks
Compared to a typical game of soccer or tennis, esports matches are pretty short. Even the longest ever, a Dota 2 match-up between ScaryFaceZ and Cloud9, only ran for just under three and a half hours. However, epic games like this are a rarity, and beat-em' up matches are done and dusted within minutes. Caster Luke Ainsworth certainly had no excuse he fell asleep during a 2021 Winter Brawl event.
4. No Sound? No Problem
Casters Lee Chung and Yipes had no trouble staying awake when they were commentating on Street Fighter. However, they did run into a couple of technical problems. When the pair noticed that the match they were watching wasn't broadcasting any audio, they stepped in with an ingenious solution. Rather than attempt to fix the problem, the pair rolled up their sleeves and got stuck in with some dubious sound effects. How accurate they were depends on who you're asking, but they managed to keep their viewers from switching off.
3. Missing a Flight isn't the End of the World
The internet-friendly nature of esports means casters can report on the action from just about anywhere. However, nothing beats hearing a moment-by-moment commentary from casters at the venue itself. In 2015, popular casting trio Daniel Kapadia, James Bardolph, and Björn Kers were due to fly out to cover DreamHack in Valencia, Spain. However, the three couldn't actually make it to the destination. Rather than call in a local to provide on-the-spot coverage, the trio simply played dress up and pretended they were there. Whether or not anyone actually took the charade seriously is another matter entirely.
2. Xyclopz Confuses Everyone
If you're a fan of Dota 2, you've probably encountered Treephob 'Xyclopz' Tiangtrong before. This Thai caster has been broadcasting since 2015 and has quickly amassed a cult following. However, it's not his on-the-pulse insights that make him such a favorite with fans. Rather, it's just how random he gets with the things he's saying. We're not talking about out-of-the-box thinking, either. Even at the best of times, Xyclopz's commentary borders on incoherence. On a bad day, you'll struggle to make sense of a single syllable. After confusing Dota 2 for years, he decided to introduce the Street Fighter crowd at Thaiger Uppercut, the biggest beat-em' up tournament in Thailand. Unsurprisingly, his insights were even more off-the-wall than usual. Need to fact-check Xyclopz's ramblings? Find the latest Dota 2 live score here.
1. Two Filipino Casters Make a Name for Themselves
In 2018, the IEM Katowice was essential viewing. Legendary Korean player Fnatic had just made his big comeback, with most eyes trained on him. Filipino casters Lon and Dunno were in attendance, providing coverage for their followers back home. While Fnatic worked his magic on screen, Lon and Dunno couldn't contain themselves. Their insane reactions quickly drew in audiences from the English audience. Valve eventually honored the pair, taking one of their soundbites and adding it to the League of Legends chat wheel.
