LOOKING AT THE big names like Manjean Faldas or Marlon Marcelo scream at the top of their lungs while providing commentary on esports matches, one may get the gist that esports shoutcasting could be a dream career.
Being able to speak out and showcase your passion for video games with millions of people watching could be stuck in our dreams especially when thinking about the possibilities of sponsors and talent fees reaching whopping digits.
But is that really the case?
SPIN.ph has contacted various shoutcasters in the Philippines to share their insights about the industry. Here's what they revealed.
Is shoutcasting really a dream job?
"It is a dream job for the reason of being a fan of gaming but realistically even casters internationally have different jobs as there's no game that you can cast daily," started a Mobile MOBA caster in the Philippines.
They added: "There are leagues that happens weekly but during off season, you can see other talents focusing on different games or working on their other job."
In general, shoutcasters are also freelancers, meaning that the problems centered on delayed payments would plague their careers. They also need to treat this like a fulltime career as casters need to hustle and grind to constantly rack up gigs.
Recently, former MPL PH shoutcaster and current TNC Pro Team head coach, Caisam "Wolf" Nopueto, announced that he has yet to receive payments from casting in major headline MLBB events. Other MLBB casters even vented out as well.
And because of the nature of shoutcasting, it is recommended to have other sideline hustles or secure a dayjob. SPIN.ph has even reached out to numerous casters to share their stance on whether casting alone can pay the bills, to which they replied with a 'no.'
A former Dota 2 caster in the Philippines, who is now a business development associate, has this to say.
"Right now, shoutcasting as a dream job is not a bad goal to have, but also, it's something that someone should not have as a main source of income," they started.
"We can see most of the shoutcasters in the space now have hybrid specializations, aside from shoutcasting, others do prod work, talent management, content creation, and etc."
Delayed payments
And speaking about delayed payments, this has been a common problem that casters have to face. Now the question remains, how long would these delays last?
Here's an excerpt from MPL caster, Karl "Rockhart" To.
"Out of respect I cannot really name names. But it is a now defunct organizer and it was for a NON-MLBB event. And it took so long I believe us talents held multiple anniversary/monthsary conversations about it hahaha! It was resolved I think after more than a year, close to two years. It was quite a while ago."
So what causes these delays? There are factors to consider as seen from that time when Mineski and WomboXCombo talents joined forces to produce an Avengers-esque Dota 2 broadcast.
"The longest delay that I had was Sanduguan under Gariath Concepts. Much understandable as it is a promising event with a lot of moving parts. If i remember correctly this is the first event wherein the mainstream media channels are involved hence causing the delay. It was resolved after a year with back and forth communications," said the mobile MOBA caster.
And while casters would oftentimes be at the receiving end of delayed payments, there are others in the industry who are also affected, especially the backend supporters in the industry. The esports backend normally consists of individuals who specialize in broadcast, production, creatives, marketing, etc, and like casters, they're also freelancers.
There have been alleged reports of organizations not paying the backend as seen in the case of Gariath Concepts Studios. SPIN.ph reached out to Gariath for their side of the story during the ESGS and RevMajor fiasco, with a screenshot revealing that the company has no money.
"Let's be honest, Gariath Concepts, the ESGS during the pandemic. No idea why it took so long but really, although I'm not hell-bent on chasing them for my TF anymore. If money does come their way, I'd rather have them prioritize those who work on the back-end first," revealed a Dota 2 talent in the PH.
What keeps them going?
Yet despite the struggles that shoutcasters face, it seems their dreams still linger on. Shoutcasting is centered around one's passion for the experience, and some would even go as far as making the necessary sacrifices to establish their reputation.
As said by the Mobile MOBA caster in the PH: "It has been my first love and passion. I have poured blood, sweat, and tears to master the craft. I started casting with less to no talent fee, using my own money for expenses and going home having only the experience and joy of shoutcasting. As long as I can cast I'll definitely keep going."
And now that these casters have debunked the myths surrounding the craft, one should have a clearer insight as to how to approach the industry.
Rockhart perfectly said: "If people think they want to be in shoutcasting for the glitz and the glamour and to get famous, they are probably in it for the wrong reasons, and they probably will not last or succeed in the long term."
"I've seen a fair amount of people like this, and I tell you now, SOME casters you don't see in the scene anymore are gone for a reason."
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