Interview med djWHEAT

Interview med djWHEAT

Vi hopper bare direkte ud i det – jeg skal tilføje at interviewet er på engelsk fordi manden kommer fra Staterne, så grunden er meget simpel.


Anubis: First of all, thanks for participating in this little interview, for the Daily Rush readers pleasure.


djWHEAT: No problem, it’s my pleasure actually


Anubis: Could you please introduce yourself a little – name, age, profession, location.

djWHEAT: Sure! Most people know me by djWHEAT, but my real name is Marcus Graham and I often go by styles as well. I am 25 years old (almost 26… yeah, yeah, I’m getting old). I currently work for an organization who provides network solutions to smaller community banks across the United States. By day I manage a Country-wide Technical Help Desk, and by night, I am a shoutcaster. I live in Lincoln, Nebraska (which is basically as close to the middle of nowhere as you can get).


Anubis: How did you manage to get to the level of shoutcasting that you currently are? How do one become so famous, shoutcasting matches?


djWHEAT: That’s a very tough question to answer. To be honest, I happened to be in the right place at the right time. I broke into the scene with a “rogue” shoutcast of Lan Arena 7. We were much unprepared for it because when we began the cast we only had 150 listener spots. Within 2 hours of coverage, we had about 750 listeners from all over the world. TsN contacted me after that, and I began getting down and dirty in the Quake 3 Community with them.


Now, getting to where I am currently… heh that took a large amount of commitment and work. When I first began shoutcasting, I was an average caster. I brought a lot of excitement to the table, but still had some problems conveying the game to the listeners. So for about 4 months I spent at least 1 to 2 hours practicing my shoutcasts on old demos (in addition to the games I was doing on a nightly basis). Over the course of 6 months, I probably logged a good 300-400 hours of both LIVE and Offline shoutcasting. That practiced paid off when the community accepted me as the “official” caster of Quake 3 Arena and I just started to become the “go-to” guy when it came to Q3 Shoutcast Coverage.


Anubis: I bet you know that you are a very popular shoutcaster at TsN. How is it, going to LAN’s all across the world, regarding the fans? Are the girls falling at your feet, or is it more suttle and relaxed?


djWHEAT: It’s awesome going to LANS! It’s always cool to travel around the US (and sometimes the World) to do what you love. I’ve really been blessed with some incredible eye-opening experiences by getting the opportunity to goto all of these competitions. I never thought a shoutcaster could have “Fans”, but yes there are quite a few at the tournaments that we cover. Lots of them just like to meet the face behind the voice… for me, I LOVE to meet the listeners. It just adds some cool substance to what we do. Getting a complement like, “I never played Quake 3 till I heard your broadcasts”, or “I’ve never heard a game so exciting as that game”, it’s really one of the most rewarding compliments a shoutcaster can receive.

Hah, as far as the girls go. Competitive gaming is not exactly a hopping place for young, gorgeous girls. However, in Korea it WAS a hopping place for young, gorgeous girls. I took a lot of pictures with girls in Korea who recognized me from the Ghem.TV coverage, or watched a Q3 Game at the live stage. That was very pleasant… I’d hope to get to experience that again sometime in the future

Anubis: Tell me, isn’t it hard sometimes to get an overview of an intense match and be aware of what each player is doing at the particular moment? How do you manage to keep track of the whole map, as well as you do?


djWHEAT: Yes… it’s very difficult. Probably the most underrated skill required to be a shoutcaster. Keeping track of two people in a 1v1 isn’t so hard, but keeping track of 8 people in a TDM or CTF match… it takes some skill. It really boils down to practice and implementation. As a shoutcaster I’ve really tried to streamline my methods of casting, trying new things and figuring out what works best. One of those things is taking advantage of the spectator commands in OSP/CPMA/etc. If you could watch a demo of what things look like to me when I cast, you probably wouldn’t enjoy it as much as the actual game demo itself. Why? Well, as a caster, you need to know what’s going on AT ALL TIMES. You are required to switch from 4 person mode, to freefloat, to first person mode, back to 4 person split screen, etc, etc. You have to have a set of comprehensive binds that allows you to switch freely for the best coverage possible.


Keeping track of the whole map requires some major multi-tasking. Not only are you trying to keep tabs on the players health/armor/location, but you also want to time items, so you can anticipate a fight at say, the mega or red armor. If at anytime you lose sight of any of these elements while casting, it can be difficult to recover. That’s why pauses during games always kick my ass


If you cannot multi-task well, then casting might not be your thing. But again, it boils down to PRACTICE. Over the course of a year I have made significant changes to the way I spectate matches as a caster, and it took me at least 7 months to find what I feel is the best method.


Anubis: Give me your top 3 over current Quake 3 clans (TDM) all over the world.


djWHEAT: Hmmm, people will probably bitch at my answer but…


1. Clan519 – What can I say, my own clan, but hell… they are such a fun group of guys, and keep everyone involved interested. Plus they really do shine when it comes to Q3 US TDM.

2. Eyeballers – Very fun clan to watch and cast, have a bunch of great guys. Clan 519 and EYE has had their differences in the past, but over the course of a year I’ve gotten closer to a few of their guys by doing some European Coverage.

3. Wutai – VERY FUN CLAN. They are always a treat to cover because they are goofy and are there to have fun and win. They remind me a lot of the 519 crew.


Anubis: Howcome Europeans are better at Quake 3 TDM than other parts of the world? What is up with that?


djWHEAT: think this question has been answered before. I know it’s still debated to this day. Quite honestly, I think Europe has a lot more ACTIVE TOP-TIER clans, which basically elevates the competition to the next level. The United States has always had 3 or 4 clans who dominated TDM, however, when you look at Europe you can mention several clans who at one time or another have “been on top”. If the US had more active top-tier clans, I think the competition would be stronger from the US. However, due to the lack of competition, and top level team in the US can only get so good. Tournaments like EuroCup and GnR have run back to back for the past year and a half and that is always a good thing for a community.


So I dunno what’s up with that. I gotta give them big props for staying at the top of the mountain for so long, and I continue to look forward to covering Euro Q3 TDM tournaments. I don’t see them ending anytime soon!


Anubis: Do you currently have a girlfriend or wife? And do you have pets?

djWHEAT: Yes, I have a girlfriend (hopefully soon to be wife). Her name is Jen, and she’s hangs around in IRC as Jade519. She’s the greatest. She’s my “silent” agent when it comes to shoutcasting. She gives me good advice when I need it, offers suggestions for making me a better caster, and even helps out with some of my shows by taking phone calls and screening callers. I couldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for her, because she’s guided me through the hard times and the easy times, so we’ve shared celebration and sometimes defeat.

I do have pets, which I love dearly. Three cats ages, 13 (Pepper), 7 (Pollyanna), and 2 (Neko). They are basically our “children” since they cost about as much and puke everywhere. But I’m a huge cat lover… and will remain so for the rest of my life. Dogs smell.


Anubis: When you shoutcast, do you then get paid? Or is it volunteering-work, like the one I’m doing right now? =)

djWHEAT: I’ve never made a dime shoutcasting. TsN is a volunteer organization, and everyone who works under the TsN tag is putting forth their energy and their dedication to creating a new medium for gamers. I really hope people understand that when they think of TsN. Many people get the wrong impression… that we are paid for every match we cover. That’s false. We cover these games with the level of intensity we have because we LOVE IT. Not because there’s a fat dollar amount connected to it. Maybe one day in the distant future, this could evolve into a profession… but if gaming as a competitive medium doesn’t fly, then neither will eSportsCasting.


Anubis: Are you a tiger in bed?

djWHEAT: TRICK QUESTION!!! If I say ‘Yes’ people will go, “Wheat you’re lying!”, but if I say ‘No’ people will laugh at me! So, why don’t you just email jade@clan519.com and ask her yourself.

Anubis: Describe yourself with 5 words.

djWHEAT: Confident, Entertaining, Dedicated, Sensitive, Young at Heart. I guess that’s technically 7 words.


Anubis: TsN shoutcasting is also popular due to the music between the matches, and when the current DJ is taking a pee-break – do you have like ONE big playlist in winamp or? And are you willing to take requests?

djWHEAT: Every DJ plays their own style of music in between, before, and after matches. I personally carry about 30GB of Techno and Punk with a little bit of everything else. We really try to limit the amount of music that we play as much as possible. People don’t tune into to hear DJ’s play music… they tune in to hear people covering the action. Some shows take requests… I personally don’t. I found it to be much easier for me to just play what I feel like, and focus on the game I’m about to cover, rather than fulfilling people’s musical requests. I will however take Karaoke requests anytime.


Anubis: What is your opinion about World Cyber Games, skipping Quake 3? Why are they doing this, and do you think it will return some day?


djWHEAT: Well, at first I was very disappointed to hear about the WCG dropping Q3. But after some investigation, it seems like it wasn’t an action from their side which caused it. I don’t want to get into politics between the two organizations, but I will say… it’s really too bad. I think we all know that Quake 3 brings the best spectating experience to the table. It’s sad to know that one of the largest tournaments (if not THE largest) in the world isn’t going to be graced with the skillful Quake 3 contenders and most certainly some outstanding competition. WCG will be seriously lacking this year in the spectating realm. As is stands right now, the only game you could “watch” without having to be in Korea is Counter-Strike… of course assuming they have HLTV working

I don’t think it will return… but I do feel like we might see future id Software games there. When? Who knows… but I hope it happens soon!


Anubis: Okay, that’s all, you can relax now – I thank you for your time, and remind you that now is the time to say hi to mom and dad, or whoever, if you like


djWHEAT: Just wanna give my normal thanks out to everyone who helps make my job easier. Everyone at TsN, the admins, the authors of websites, the players, the fans, and the listeners… put all of these elements together, and you’re bound to have the best coverage you could possibly ask for. Oh, and a big shout out to FARGUS.


Der har i det folkens, djWHEAT uncovered! Håber i fandt det interessant – det gjorde undertegnede i hvert fald.

Du kan finde djWHEAT og alle de andre DJ’s på #TsNCentral på Quakenet og #TsN på EnterTheGame. Du kan også smutte forbi deres hjemmeside, for yderligere info.

29 KOMMENTARER

  1. jeg vidste absolut intet om dette interview før det blev posted. men nice!

    Det er hunde der lugter. dog er de søde, men wtf, de lugter meget til tider, og de savler. (Katte ejer. ik’ osse Mikael?)

  2. Jeg går udfra, at dem der kan lide katte, også er dem der foretrækker dummer blondiner

    Katte er nemlig pænt dumme, den ville aller forstå, at den skulle gå ud i gangen, hvis man sagde “Hey makker, vi spiser” se det kan hunde!