[CFCL Elite October] [MOD]Zzxq Exclusive Interview

RiceTurtle
RiceTurtle
in CrossFire Barracks
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Hi, everyone!

It's [MOD]weiwei, again. For those of you who have been tuning in every week for these interviews, thank you all for the support! Unfortunately, I was out sick for a bit, so this interview is coming slightly late, but I assure you it is worth the wait! CFCL October is just starting, so please don't forget to support them next Saturday on Twitch (and of course to support our most awesome caster). For more information on the teams and match times, check out the official CFCL homepage.

For the next couple of weeks, you can expect interviews of our top talented teams to be posted on here. Since there's only so many weeks in a month, yet there's more than 10 teams competing each month, unfortunately, not every team will be interviewed.

This week's interview is with CFNA's most famous caster... You guessed it.

So without ado, I present to you:
[MOD]Zzxq
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QUESTION
ANSWER


To start off, can you tell us a little about yourself?
My name is Kyle, I am 23 years old, and live in Manhattan, Kansas. I have been an avid gamer ever since I can remember, but it really became serious for me when I got deeply involved in PC Gaming in 2009.

Also, just recently I became the Talent Acquisition Manager for SetToDestroyX. It's official!



Looks like you've been on quite the journey since 2009. You're a competitive player, a caster, moderator, among other roles… Which role has been the biggest challenge or has resulted in the biggest time commitment?
Being a player, caster, admin, among other things has been a great way for me to get a wider scope of what esports at large are really all about. All these roles definitely require a good amount of time, but it different ways. The most challenging to me is always the player side of things. These guys have to put in hours upon hours to maintain skill and always stay ahead of the curve, whereas with most other gaming related professions you develop and only improve more over time.

For me the biggest challenge though, was definitely becoming a caster because its not something I had ever actually planned or even thought of doing. I am naturally very quiet in most regards, so to be in a position where I am now constantly interacting with an audience is kind of funny.



If given the chance to do it all over again, would you have changed anything?
For me I’d like to think I would have made the decision to make my mark quicker. I spent so long not really diving into the competitive side of gaming that was inside of me all along, and I think had I known the potential I had earlier in life I could be even further ahead of where I already am, however I don’t have any regrets on the path I have taken.



I think the one role most people are interested in is how you became a sportscaster. Did the offer to be a caster for ESL in 2014 come as a surprise?
So ESL (NESL at the time) was a crazy happening in general for me. I didn't even know that there was ESL for Crossfire happening until an old player back in the day (Chase) messaged me about helping as a volunteer admin along with another player. During this time I actually played on a team called Exertus with players still active today such as x0tek. The role of caster actually came later on, after I eventually took over as Game head for Crossfire with ESL and the other 2 left to pursue other things in life. After I became the game head (essentially the head admin) I was asked after a few weeks to also cast just to add some content to the events I was running for them, and from there I built up my abilities over a long grind, and eventually built a reputation as a caster.



The first time I heard you casting was in CFS 2016. You were all the way in Suzhou, China! How was it?
China was great, and I definitely learned so much throughout that experience. I don’t know if I could ever live there long term, but it was definitely a great adventure and a very fun event to be apart of. It was really cool to meet some of the GMs and meet players that I had studied and watched grow over the past years of CFS.



After watching you cast, I realize casting isn’t just about being quick on your feet, it’s also about the energy you bring. Being able to consistently bring the same level of energy to every match, now that’s hard, yet you somehow manage to do it. Do you have any advice for others wanting to become casters?
When it comes to how I cast it was really something I developed over the years of learning from the great casters I surrounded myself with and watched when I was younger such as Gecks, David, and Alan Tilt. At first I was actually VERY bad in my opinion and it took years to develop the casting style I use nowadays. I think anyone wanting to become a caster should realize that anyone can do it, but it takes a lot more work than you would expect on the surface. As a caster your goal is to make every game a story, and as the “storyteller” you have to really bring out the depth and emotion behind the action. A good caster can make any game a great experience if they have that in their mind. To me the only secret is to not be afraid to get emotional, and not to let your audience dictate your performance.



Has anyone given you a great piece of advice that just stuck with you and has helped you become the caster you are today?
The best advice I got was probably from the people working on my first live show (ESL Burbank with Gecks and Tilt) and it was to simply ignore negative comments until you knew you were comfortable with how you were performing as a caster. I think finding the right way to filter feedback from my casting, and being self aware and critical of my own performances has really pushed me to improve over the years.



Okay, a silly question - How many bottles of water do you go through a day when you’re casting?
I average a bottle per 2 maps, so over a full day of casting it can definitely add up, haha.



Will we be able to see you cast at future events once CFCL Season 2 is over?
I can’t say anything specific yet, but I can assure you it won’t be the last you see of me as a caster in Crossfire, or in Esports as a whole. I hope to continue to grow with Crossfire as future events come forth and continue to expand my casting into other titles as well in my free time.



Where can we find you on social media?
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Zzxq-268406123365869
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ItsZzxq
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/Zzxq_tv



Finally, do you mind sharing us your full casting repertoire? What all events have you casted?
I have casted a mountain of events, most of which are Crossfire related, with a few other games mixed in here and there.

Casting Experience:

Live

IEM KATOWICE 2017 - Crossfire Expo Invitational (Katowice, Poland)
Crossfire Stars 2016 (Suzhou, China)
Crossfire Stars Qualifiers 2014,2015,2016 (Online / ESL Studios in Burbank, California)
WCA Qualifier 2015 (ESL Studios in Burbank, California)
Wichita CS LAN April 2016 (Wichita, Kansas)
SoPro CS LAN 2 (Overland Park, Kansas)

Online

GINX TV Interview for IEM
Crossfire Stars 2017 National Finals
CFCL Season 2 (Elite League)
Raptors Esports Center Crossfire Tournament (March 2017)
Crossfire Stars 2016 National Finals
CFCL Season 1 (July 2016 - November 2016)
Evolve Chappie Challenge
ESG League July 2015
ESG League August 2015
ESG League September 2015
WCA Crossfire 2015
Crossfire Stars 2014 National Finals
Crossfire Stars 2015 National Finals
ESL America Crossfire Go4 League April 2014
ESL America Crossfire Go4 League May 2014
ESL America Crossfire Go4 League June 2014
ESL America Crossfire Go4 League July 2014
ESL America Crossfire Go4 League August 2014
ESL America Crossfire Go4 League September 2014
ESL America Crossfire Go4 League October 2014
ESL America Crossfire Go4 League November 2014
ESL America Crossfire Go4 League December 2014
ESL America Crossfire Go4 League January 2015
ESL America Crossfire Go4 League February 2015
ESL America Crossfire Go4 League March 2015
ESL America Crossfire Go4 League April 2015
ESL America Crossfire Go4 League May 2015
ESL America Crossfire Go4 League June 2015
HSC 1v1 Series 2013
OCG Super Series 2013
OCG Winter Cup 2013



There you have it guys. If casting is something you're interested in, go for it. It is never too late to start doing what you love <3. Kyle, thank you so much for your time!
Thank you!





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