Interview conducted by Kary
Esports Heaven had the chance to sit down with Bkop and discuss the tough road he has traveled, how things fare now, and how we can expect the future to look.
Hey Bkop. How have you been doing?
I’d love to be able to say things have been amazing but I just can’t. Things have been rough, life has felt like I’ve been living on the corner of darkness and depression for a while now and I’d say ever since January 2019 things have been on a consistent slide down.
It’s been a couple of rough months for you personally and professionally. You’ve lost people very close to you and in quick succession. I know how difficult it can be. How did you cope with your losses?
I don’t know if I have really coped much at all I just think I have really been coasting through life. Everytime I think I am turning a corner I am slapped back down to reality. Losing my dad has been the hardest thing I think I’ve ever had to deal with in my life and I haven’t exactly found a way to work through the emotions. I still look at the front door everyday hoping this is all a dream and he will walk in after being through a long night in court. Only a few weeks later and I lost my grandfather who was just as amazing. Then recently losing my cat Goldie which I know is a different situation entirely but that was my dad's cat. Goldie followed my dad home in the Summer of ‘06 and was by my dad’s side every day since. Casting Dota has certainly helped keep my mind away from the depressing thoughts of it all but with all the isolation and quarantine it's been very hard.
You were also struggling to get a stable job and when you finally got one, the Coronavirus pandemic made everything to come to a standstill including your job. Can you shed light regarding the job that you got, and the current situation in your city/state regarding this unfortunate pandemic?
I was looking for work outside of the dota scene, and I ended up getting one with my favorite baseball team. However like a lot of people, the response to coronavirus saw it put on standstill indefinitely. baseball is on an indefinite postponement. I live in New York, which is the epicenter of the outbreak in the US so that coupled with my compromised immune system has me nervous and forced to stay inside.
Does that mean you still have the job and the joining has just been delayed?
I really don’t know. The only contact we have had is that the second training was delayed and nothing more. I don’t get paid, I don’t know if I have a job, so it's a bad situation overall.
Fortunately, you are covering CDL on behalf of BTS. That must be somewhat of a life saver during this crisis. However, you’re still not able to get stable casting gigs even after being in this field for a long time. Where are you falling short? Do luck/contacts play a role in this?
Yea, BTS has really hooked it up by giving me the opportunity to cast CDA and I am always super excited to get back on the horse with some Chinese region casting. This time around they paired me up with Winter too which is someone I have never worked with but so far I think we have clicked quite well.
As for my career as a whole I am falling short in a couple of spots. I find myself casting a lot of Chinese Dota solo and that means I don’t have a partner. That’s not to say I haven’t cast with many people and don’t have that experience but I think when a lot of people think of me casting they think of me casting solo. I also believe my networking is terrible and I just don’t know the right people to contact to try and work events and on top of that I don’t know if contacting someone is seen as desperate and I should just wait for them to come to me or if I should contact them if I want to get the event. On top of all that I feel like I haven’t exactly presented myself in the best manner at times and I know that is holding me back. There is no guide to this and a lot of this is just going in blind thinking you are making the right decisions and saying the right things. I definitely screwed up some first impressions and those last forever so screwing that up could ruin any chance I may have had to get an event but I only have myself to blame.
Related: Seleri on Viking's win against OG: "We felt quite confident as the games were going the way we wanted them to go. The atmosphere was definitely a bit more tense and you could feel a bit more pressure than normal but that is to be expected"
Nonetheless, you’ve something going rather than nothing as opposed to many unfortunate people in this situation. Tell us more about CDL that you’ve been casting.
The Chinese leagues I have had a chance to cover have been great! CPL ended in amazing fashion with LGD beating VG 3-2 in the final and now I am on for CDA and have been working with Winter. Working with Winter has been amazing. He has so much insight into the game and presents in a way I can understand and banter with. Not only that I know he makes the game understandable for the viewers in such an amazing manner. He reminds me of when Tony Romo is in the booth calling NFL games and he can predict the plays and how they will go down, Winter is that for Dota. As for CDA we are seeing some new faces and a lot of veterans back in the forefront. Right now leading the table is Sparking Arrow Gaming and watching OP (Former mid for IG) play again has been fantastic. Ocean has been great to watch too and right now my favorite player from that group is Tzy, he has been the most consistent player for that squad and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him land with a top team soon.
Is it fair to say that there are a lot of tier 2 teams in China that have a better chance to become top tier as compared to EU/NA/SEA due to its sheer gaming infrastructure?
I would say to me and I know this is biased but China has the most depth and I believe some of their “tier 2” teams would be top contenders in other regions. LGD looks to be back in form with Chalice in the one position so what does that mean for the rest. You still have Vici, IG, EHOME, RNG, and Aster who could all make a major! It’s a bloodbath at the top of China and I love watching it go down.
Have you seen any different/odd strategy coming out of any Chinese team in the latest patch that you liked?
Nothing that I don’t think has been seen elsewhere. Somnus mid Earth Spirit, yesterday I saw two mid Tidehunters and a carry Tide, as well as seeing carry Undying from Newbee AND IT WORKED! It’s what I love about all these Chinese region leagues because some games we just see some crazy lineups.
Let’s talk about Regional Leagues. There is a possibility of having studios for regions (as per Valve mandate) which most likely will provide ample of chances for casters trying to break out onto the big scene. Do you agree? What are your thoughts?
I would like to think that there will be a chance I am with a studio for regional leagues and I would love to say the same for a lot of us out on the cusp of breaking through but I’ve learned that you may have the talent in casting which gives you a lotto ticket entry but that doesn’t mean your numbers are coming up and you get your chance to cash in. With the way my career has gone I am just going to see where things go. If I get the opportunity to cast for a studio awesome if I don’t I think it’s just time to accept it’s the end of the road and to start doing something else. I’m going to work as hard as I can to give myself the best chances but anything can happen and I need to be ready for that.
My best wishes are with you, always. Anything you’d like to say before we wrap up?
I just want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me. It has been a rough year for me and I want to continue to work hard, maybe find some success, and prove not only you guys right that I can do this but also my dad. He always said I had the talent to do this and I want to prove him right but also prove my own beliefs right.
If you enjoyed this feature, follow the interviewer on Twitter at @Karyb4u.
Image courtesy of EPICENTER.
DreXxiN
2020-05-08 12:08:39