Jordan Mays is an Esports Commentator best known for his work as a Commentator and Host for ESL. he is also a finalist for Esports Personality of the Year at the Australian Games Awards (AGAs). He recently spoke with Gamers Classified about his work and his most memorable Eports moments of 2018.
GC: What was your reaction to being nominated?
JM: Obviously it is always nice to be nominated for awards. I was told by a few people that they were nominating me beforehand so I wasn't hugely surprised to begin with. I've worked very hard this year and it is quite a good feeling to have that recognised more widely, so I'm quite thankful for the nominations.
GC: What are some of the most memorable eSports moments you've been involved in?
JM: It's been quite a big year for me, so there's quite a few to choose from. Starting off the year I was able to work on IEM Sydney. Casting the Renegades vs Mousesports Quarter Final is definitely one of the highlights of the year for me. I think it was a big moment for all Australian CS:GO fans to be able to watch an Aussie team on stage at IEM this year and I was very honoured to be a small part in the history of that moment. I still also feel that the cast of that game was my best work so far.
Aside from that, I was able to work the ESL Pro League Finals in Dallas shortly after IEM which was another big step forward for me and my career. Melbourne Esports Open also offered me the chance to work my first Overwatch live event with the Contenders Season 2 Finals, and I definitely can't complain with the way that even turned out!
Finally, having just returned from CFS 2018 in China. I also can't forget to mention that event which has become a recurring thing for me in the last few years. I have a lot of fun in China every year so it's super cool to be continually invited back.
GC: What kind of training or preparation goes into becoming an eSports Commentator?
JM: I think most people don't really understand what it means to be a commentator. On the surface it looks very easy to sit there and talk about video games but there's certainly a lot more to it. Everyone prepares in different ways, and even depending on the broadcast/event preparation will be different.
Ordinarily I will set aside one full day per 'week' of commentating to go through all the matches and prepare story lines, look over last week's matches again, update stats, check patches and metas and that kind of thing. For example, during the Overwatch Contenders seasons, I spend 1 day a week getting ready for each of the 6 matches that are played over 2 days. So my schedule during Overwatch seasons is 1 day of Overwatch preparation, 2 days of Overwatch casting (and then 2 days for other broadcasts/work).
It gets a bit more in depth when you start to jump around multiple games at once which is something I have definitely done in the past, usually that will involve talking to players/casters in that scene and trying to get a grasp of the 'zeitgeist' for lack of a better word. Basically it all comes down to being comfortable and confident when you get on to the broadcast, knowing that no matter how long you can talk on camera, you can waffle on as needed.
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GC: Is there anything else you would like to say? For example, thank yous, shout out to sponsors, general comments etc.
JM: Most importantly for me I want to thank everyone that nominated and voted for me for the awards, as well as anyone that has enjoyed watching my work throughout this year. It's always a labour of love and it's awesome to receive positive feedback from the community. Also thanks to ESL Australia for helping me get to the place I am today, having broadcasts thrown at me left, right and centre is a challenge but my position at ESL has significantly helped me develop as a caster.
Jordan Mays is active on Twitter and Twitch. To find out if he wins Esports Personality of the year, tune in to the AGAs from 8:30pm AEDT on December 19th.
