Chan-Yuan, Hsu is a well-known baseball anchorman in Taiwan. He is one of the very few that could withstand time and remain popular to this day. If you have watched professional or international baseball broadcast, you should’ve seen him or heard him on TV. Since the 3rd year of TeSL, Videoland Television Network has been broadcasting seasonal games and grand championships live. This special anchorman was given another identity—professional eSports anchorman.
We feel very honored to have this opportunity to interview Hsu for this series of feature report in G!VOICE. His passion for eSports broadcasting, prospect for relevant industry and his caring attitude towards eSports contestants truly earn him the charm and bearings of a veteran media person!
eSports Competition: from Pre-recording to Live Broadcasting—the Instant Thrill
On the 2nd year of TeSL, the seasonal game was pre-recorded by ESPN and broadcasted on a designated date. However, TeSL wished to follow other professional sports’ suit in broadcasting the competition live to convey the instant thrill and excitement to the audience. They wanted to find a well-known anchorman to boost the promotional campaign and they found, the baseball broadcast veteran, Chan-Yaun, Hsu for the job.
▲Hsu(right) studied the games and his broadcasting style before broadcasting the professional or international baseball game live.
Hsu Spent 2-3 Hours to Collect Information Before Each Live Broadcasting
Broadcasting games were something Hsu never tried before, however he also plays games so it was not too challenging for him. When he first started, he had to do a lot of preparation work to familiarize himself with technical terms or the content of the games. Slowly but surely as he accumulated more knowledge about the games then he shifted his focus on data and records. Currently the TeSL doesn’t have a specialized team to document the record so he often spends 2-3 hours organizing past game results and contestants’ special records. He hopes that he could share these information with the audiences.
▲Hsu is a die-hard fan of Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyū (a.k.a Power Pro). It is a series of baseball game developed by Japanese game company, KONAMI. The disproportional and comical characters are its most notable features and are adored by many baseball fans.
（Source of picture：http://www.inside-games.jp）
When Parents and Teachers Also Cheer For the Contestants, then eSports is Considered a Success
E-Sports is a relatively new industry. Hsu thinks that traditionally, parents would think children who play computer games are prone to bad behaviors. Computer games were generally perceived negatively. However, ever since eSports events been broadcasted on TV, many parents turned around and started supporting their own children who adopted eSports as their lifelong goal. Throughout the interviews and broadcasting, Hsu observed that these parents actually support their childrens’ dreams, even though eSports is not a ‘career’ one can continue for life.
Hsu once mentioned during the broadcasting, “If one day the teachers of these contestants at school could come to the competition venue to cheer for them, then that’s the day eSports succeed.” He added that, “This industry will grow stronger as the prevalence of internet spread. Korea is a country we could learn from. Their eSports players are even given military waiver or substitute. If only our government could place more focus on eSports industry or arts and relevant cultural industries. ”
▲The 5th year of TeSL chamipion ship, many Gama Bearss’ parents came to the venue to cheer for their children!
Gamania Takes Good Care of Contestants: Creating a Stress-Free Future
When asked about Gama Bears, Hsu thinks that Gama Bears is well-organized and mature team, with comprehensive measures covering contestant benefit, the system or future career change advice. In addition, they spend a lot of resources on trainings too. Their coach system is the most professional compared with other teams. Take for example, Sakugetsui successfully applied for graduate school with the help from the company. Now he not only has a academic credit but could also become a professional coach in the future. Overall, Gamania has spent considerable time and resources in taking care of these players, instead of treating them as disposable talents.
▲Sakugetsui didn’t participate the competition this year because he was preparing for graduate school but he still made it to the venue to cheer for his teammates. His heart was with everybody!
Please Encourage Our eSports Players
Finally, Hsu asked the audiences to give them more encouragement in supporting these players. Sometimes certain ‘critical’ comments were harsh, even though they may be constructive. Players value these comments a lot, especially if they lose the game. Irrational and emotional criticism is very discouraging to these players. They really need everyone’s encouragement and support. In addition, Hsu hope s that the players could cherish what they have at the moment. The friendly and accepting environment wasn’t created in a day, and will need everyone to work hard to maintain.
▲Replace blame with encouragement, let’s cheer up for our eSports players!
Hsu often exuberates the bearing of a professional anchorman, but when we talked to him in person, we found out that his passion for game and baseball is just avid as any other fans. When he talks about stuff that he likes, he couldn’t help but show his enthusiasm. Perhaps his love for the work is what keeps him going to this day and still remains popular by the audience!