Talking

efore the tournament. Make sure you double check your stats withsomeone else, too, as blurting out a stat on air that everyonewatching knows is wrong is going to make you look like an idiot.The final piece of preparation, particularly true if you are attendinga very international event, is to check on pronunciation of playernames. If in doubt, ask the player directly. All too often this is overlookedand a commentator says a nickname or real name completelywrong until corrected half way through a show or cast. There isnothing more embarrassing to you or the player concerned. Again,it will add weight to the viewers’ impression that you have no ideawhat you’re talking about!PRACTICEThere is a famous gamer who swears by the mantra “practice, practice,practice”, and while it’s only one of my Ps, it’s no less importantwhen it comes to commentating. Practice when and whereveryou can, either live or back to friends or family. Work on yourpronunciations, work on your phrases, and don’t be limited to just afew of the same adjectives in explaining the action - use the thesaurustip explained earlier in the chapter to expand your vocabulary.If you really want to succeed and you have the voice and the personalityfor this kind of job, practice is probably all you need to getgood at it, so stick with it, even if you’re being battered by the oftenoverly critical gaming communities.PASSIONNever lose sight of why you wanted to do this job. Passion is asimportant in commentating as preparation is. You can spend twomonths preparing for a tournament and know every single thingabout someone, including the colour of their dog and their inside28