CEVO Articles

In this edition of CEVO Frontline we take a look at one of the most reliable E-Sports broadcasting companies to date, TGBF. We contacted Chris Schetter, TGBF’ Director of North American operations to give us his insight on such topics as, the future of TGBF, the future of E-Sports commentating and how to get into shoutcasting if you are just starting out.

Just start off by introducing yourself to the community
I’m Chris Schetter, I run the North American operations for TGBF.

What made you get into casting with TGBF?
My initial foray into doing gaming shows and commentary came way back when I was an admin at TWL, and I took it up as a way to give the BF2 competition I was running some additional exposure. That was around four years ago now; it has since taken on a life of it’s own. I didn’t start with TGBF but it wasn’t long after I had started doing this stuff that I met up with the-swede and started collaborating with him under the TGBF brand. We shared a common outlook towards gaming and what could be done with coverage to make it entertaining for both enthusiasts and the uninitiated alike, and so working with him on this project was a no-brainer.

What are the future plans for TGBF? Will we be seeing you at any major LAN events in 2009?
Well I think the only proper response to that question is: Will there be any major events in the states this year? I think any coverage group that answers that with any sort of conviction have to be accused of blowing smoke. We all know the gravity of the current economic situation and no sector will be untouched, and gaming events - which has to be considered a non-essential in the larger picture - are likely going to be hit pretty hard as a result as marketing budgets and available capital shrinks globally.
So to answer your question, I think that everything is really up in the air for event coverage, not only for us but for everyone with projects doing gaming coverage. Our future plans have not changed in the slightest from the basic outlook that got us to this point: keep at it and have fun doing it. I will mention that we did have a great time covering the X3O Winter Classic in January, and we hope to be able to collaborate with Nick and the crew there for future events.

What about events such as kode5/ESWC/WCG Qualifiers as well as the Pan-AM games and Blizzcon?
Well if I remember right the KODE5 qualifiers are in like a week. We’re definately not going to be a part of that one : ). As for the others, WCG does their own thing with coverage.ESWC if I’m reading right hasn’t even finalized details towards having a USA stop yet, so at the very least that needs to get done first before anybody can start to think about that, unless they’ve got an inside contact, which we don’t. So right now it’s a waiting game. I’m sure most of those events will happen; my point wasn’t to say that they won’t be. However these larger events often have their own crews that do them or prior contacts that they will likely hit up again.

Most of us involved at TGBF do this as a side project and are actually interested in holding on to their full time jobs and professions, so flitting around the globe covering events really isn’t in the cards in most cases.
We’re not here to try and take over the gaming commentary world, become super e-famous, and let our egos inflate like we see far too often in this scene. We’re here because we enjoy what we do and we have a sizable audience that seems to enjoy what we do too; anything above and beyond that is great but we also have to temper that against more important goals and responsibilities.

With other organizations such as djWHEAT.tv/coL and the ESL having their own radio/tv shows streaming over the internet, as well as places like GOMtv and Nicez! Does TGBF have any plans to have a regular radio or TV program?
I think that area is sufficiently saturated as is, so no we’re not planning a sort of periodical straight gaming news program. I think there’s far more interest digging deeper than just the scores, frags, stats, and player movements between teams, and getting to what makes players and the scene tick. I think a lot of folks think we need some sort of ‘Sportscenter’ for gaming, and it’s been attempted a fair number of times; the reality is that kind of format takes far more work than is reasonable on a volunteer basis and a far larger scene than the states has now.

Shifting focus now, what would you suggest to newcomers who want to get into shoutcasting? How should they go about doing it?
Just start doing it. And don’t feel like you have to immediately have to jump on with any organization right away. There are plenty of new resources out there now that empowers just about anybody to be able to put a stream up - a luxury that wasn’t around when I started. Also, don’t give in to the urge to just emulate everything you’ve heard and seen before, and become another faceless generic scorebot. If anything make a determined effort to find your own voice and approach with it, it’s really the only way what we do will continue to grow and evolve. But most importantly, make sure that you put emphasis on the real meat of the project - the show and the commentary itself - and not the hype and the trappings around it. Too many folks get caught up in the potential to let your ego get too inflated in the process, and spend more time hyping what they’re doing than they do on their actual craft; the result is usually embarassing for everyone. If you keep your head down and just put out a good product, people will show up.

With North American E-Sports in a downward spiral, what place do you feel E-Sports commentary has in the future of North American E-Sports?
Similar to the current state of the global markets, eventually we’ll find a bottom in the decline of the scene. In the end I think that it will be a good thing for the scene, for the folks that will be left around are the people that truly want to see gaming grow as both the means and the end, instead of the long line of failed endeavors designed to monopolize gaming to the extent that money could be made off it, and when it didn’t then cash out. From a solid foundation of people who have the best interests of the gaming scene at heart, the NA scene will recover and be much stronger than before. The real variable is when exactly that will happen, and I think those of us in gaming coverage have an integral role in defining the ‘when’ in this process.
Continuing in the same vein that we’ve seen in years past of hostile competition between commentary groups, the working of backroom exclusivity deals, and working under the idea that the arena of gaming commentary and content production can and should be monopolized will only serve to hurt the rebound of the scene here in the states. Now I’m not suggesting that we all merge up, hold hands, and sing kumbaya. I’m suggesting that competition should be welcomed and not shut out; that the more product is out there there better; and the more different approaches there are to what we do, the more opportunities then exist to reach people both inside and outside gaming and turn them on to what the scene is all about. Infighting about who is ‘better’ is pointless. We in gaming coverage need to focus solely on putting out a better product than we have before over trying to convince other organizations that they should close up shop. When that is realized and put into practice, then the gaming commentary world will be able to have an extremely positive impact on the scene as a whole.

Any closing remarks?
Thanks for the opportunity to stand on my soapbox for a bit; I hope I wasn’t too preachy, but I think everything I said in that regard needed to be said by someone, so I might as well have. And thanks to you Cameron for your time this afternoon, and thanks to CEVO for their cooperation over the past year or so in helping us hook up some great coverage. Cheers!

Interview conducted by CEVO|Carson. A big thank you goes out to Mr. Schetter for taking the time to participate in this interview.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 24th, 2009 at 11:45 pm and is filed under Coverage Central. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.