Interview With Bkop: "Hopefully One Day, My Dream Of Casting At TI Will Become A Reality"

Republished By Plato

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GosuGamers caught up with Dota 2 caster Bkop to talk about his casting experience this DPC season and his journey in the world of casting in general.

Professional esports games are special not just because of the skills on display, but also because of the casters who add to the magic. GosuGamers caught up with Dota 2 caster Benjamin “Bkop” Kopilow, who has been rising through the ranks for the past few years. We spoke about his recent casting experiences and his foray into the world of Dota 2 casting, amongst other things.

Hello Bkop! Thank you for taking the time. How was the DPC Division I experience for the Winter Tour?

The Winter Tour was amazing. Working with PGL is always a smooth experience. Everyone on the production team was nice and honestly, they wanted to achieve the same goals and make the best possible product for the viewers. I think we really accomplished that this tour. As for the talent side, it was just as good if not better. I got to work with some new people, and a lot of people I have either worked with online or in person before. I think this tour was fun with the group of people we had as everyone really seemed to click on all levels. The talent got along well with each other, and it certainly made each day easier and led to amazing chemistry throughout the Division I DPC Leagues.

That is great to hear! This was the first time the Division I and Division II Leagues were separated. From a caster’s point of view, what were the pros and cons of this change?

I liked the more condensed season. It helped follow the storylines for Division I. You could feel the buildup for every region as time went by. I don’t think there are many cons to this new schedule, because now Division II also gets its own time to shine.

That makes sense. Do you find a distinct difference while casting different regions? Which is your favorite one?

The different interpretations of the meta are always nice to see throughout all the regions. When I got to cast Western Europe and China, it was clear to see some heroes favored over others depending on the region. It is interesting to see the differences in drafting too. Obviously, I have a home with the Chinese region, but I am always focused on all regions. China Dota just has my heart.

How do you think your favorite region fared this season? Especially your favorite team PSG.LGD, after undergoing some restructuring?

Coming into the Winter Tour, I believed that Team Aster were going to be the best team in the region. But even with the team restructuring, PSG.LGD held their own and beat Aster twice in a row. I think both teams are gearing up for a strong run at the Lima Major, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of the teams in the grand final, and both of them in the top 6.

It will be really interesting to see how they fare up against the other teams at the Lima Major. Let’s go a bit back in time – when did you start playing Dota, and how did you get into casting?

I started playing Dota 2 in June 2012, when my friends invited me to play through the invite system. They told me to start with Kunkka, which did not go so well. So they simplified it for me and had me playing Zeus. It just led to me just asking one major question – “Should I ult now, guys?” Every game, I asked that question so many times that my friends made a meme and printed it out on the birthday of the friend who got me to play Dota 2. He even hung that picture up on his wall!

As for getting into casting, it almost didn’t happen. I happened to enter a contest to win two premium tickets to ESL One New York 2014 on some random blog, and I won because I was the only entry. My friend and I (same friend with the Zeus picture) went to the event and enjoyed the experience. I wasn’t really into competitive Dota 2 at that point, but something inside me wanted to get involved. I knew I couldn’t play just Zeus and go pro, so I thought maybe I should try casting. I asked if a random league needed a caster (Tourr Captains Draft League). They took me up on that offer, and I started from there. The finals for that league were a best-of-5 and lasted eight hours!

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At what point did you feel you could make it a career? And did you have any idols throughout that journey, from whom you would draw inspiration? In regular sports or esports..

Only recently has casting Dota 2 games felt like a career. The last few years have been more consistent work, but I’m still missing out on a lot of things I want to accomplish to call this my career. Over the years, I have been inspired by many casters. For Dota 2, it would be David “Godz” Parker, Owen “ODPixel” Davies, Gabreil “Lyrical” Cruz and a few others. But my biggest idols in commentary are the three guys over at SportsNet New York (SNY) for the New York Mets – Gary Cohen, Ron Darling, and Keith Hernandez. You couldn’t ask for a better trio in sports.

Ahh so you’re a Baseball fan, eh? It’s great to see inspiration from traditional sports make a mark in esports! You’re a play-by-play caster..who is your favorite analyst to work with? When you are paired with someone new, do you have to discuss anything before jumping in the game?

I don’t really discuss anything because I don’t like having anything planned, as such. Even my jokes are impromptu, although people think I plan them ahead of time. I love keeping it fresh and different, just like how every game of Dota is unique in its own way. I have no favorite analysts as such – I’ve loved working with all the ones I’ve been paired up with. Over the years, I’ve worked with more than 30 people, and each of them minus a couple have given me something to learn, and I’ve ended up having a special vibe with each one.

That makes sense! Take the best from everyone. You weren’t invited to TI11, and many from the Dota 2 community thought you absolutely deserved it. Any idea what happened there? Whatever the issue, it seems to be resolved now that you are working with PGL..

I’m not too sure why I missed out on TI11. But these last few years other than The International championships, I’ve been working with just about every tournament organizer. I’m just trying to keep getting better at casting, and hopefully one day, my dream of casting at TI will become a reality.

A lot of us in the Dota 2 community wish that too! Is there any specific way you like to work on improving yourself?

I usually ask others around me for their opinions on how I can improve. I take in comments from outside sources with a grain of salt, especially when they aren’t constructive at all. Listening to myself is not something I like, because I have a hard time thinking anything I do is good enough, which always pushes me to be better. During casts, even messing up a name or ability or stumbling makes me angry to where I think about it a lot and work on it to make sure the same mistake does not happen again.

What advice would you have for budding casters who want to make a career in esports?

Get as many repetitions in as you can. Cast any games just to work on you craft. In my case, casting a lot of China games helped a lot. Try to take what you think are your best moments and ask someone where you can get better. For me, the most important thing was casting as much as I could to just get better. All those old solo casts on my channel were part of that growth too.

That is great advice! What do you think of the current Dota 2 meta? And what changes would you like to see in the next patch?

I have enjoyed the meta, but it has run its course. It is time for a new patch and I hope it’s something big! Something like Aghanim’s Scepter level 2, New Roshan drops, map changes, better teammates, and Ancient Apparition buffs.

The better teammates thing might be a bit difficult for IceFrog to implement! When you aren’t casting or playing Dota 2, what do you like to do?

I’ve been playing Baseball and softball in a spring and summer league. I also love to bowl; I’ve been bowling since I was 3. And if I feel up to it, I hit the gym.

Thank you for taking the time to talk with us, Bkop! Any shoutouts?

Shoutout to my fans, you know who you are. Shoutout also to my family who support me and my friends who believe in me, especially my friend Karinna. She’s always been an inspiration because she is the ideal example of a hard worker carving their own path.