Just like their traditional sport counterparts, commentators vary greatly in quality, style and authority. This week I want to look at some of the best and worst casters that esports has to offer and just what separates one from the other.

When I first got involved in esports, I only followed CS and there was really only TsN to listen to. There were a couple of minor contenders, but you only ever saw TsN at the big events. The others were resigned to covering clanbase and other online leagues.

This was, frankly, a horrible state of affairs. TsN was, at best, uncomplicated. At worst, it was an earache-inducing monstrosity. It was the perfect definition of the term ‘shoutcast’, used in place of ‘commentary.’ I will forever remember TsN for the phrase “…GETS IT DONE WITH THE AK-47 IN A 2ON1 SITUATION.” If you have never listened to them, just repeat that phrase 30 times (once per round at the top of your voice) and you’ve got the gist of it.

What made TsN so bad was simply the fact that they never really told you anything. There was no analysis, no explanation, just shouting. The reason they got invited to tournaments, as far as I can tell, is because there wasn’t really an alternative.

To my mind, it was another American company that really raised people’s expectations in regards to commentators. During GotForum’s disastrous over-expansion a few years ago, the diamond in the rough was clearly GFTV. Whatever you think about Midway, the fact is that he had authority and knowledge that the TsN casters couldn’t even get close to. Both he and Jesuit seemed to enjoy what they did, and they made a great partnership on-air. It was far from perfect, but it was a huge step up from the TsN days and showed that there were people out there who actually understood the games they commentated on.

GFTV was the broadcaster that sticks in the memory from that period. But less than a year before GFTV hit the internet, Midway was in Sweden with another oldschooler by the name of Vesslan. The commentary they did at Dreamhack (I’m not 100% sure it was DH, correct me if you can) that year started an important trend – bringing in experienced, knowledgeable ex-pros.

This has been replicated many times since. Indeed, one of esports best known commentators would seem almost lost at times if it wasn’t for his sidekick. I’m talking, of course, about Tosspot. I first came across him at ESWC 2006. He was commentating on Quake, and exhibited one of the most important skills for a long-term commentator; the ability to make people interested in a game they don’t play.

At that tournament, he was in his element, but there are commentators who don’t fare well if asked to do another game. But Tosspot is usually lucky enough to be paired with a co-commentator in other games and he knows how to bridge the gap between his partner’s knowledge and his own skills as a caster. Just watch the Counter-strike VODs’s from Extreme Masters or anything he’s done with Rotterdam for proof.

Better yet, watch the recent EPS Scandinavia finals where he cast WC3 a Swedish partner and then watch something with Rotterdam. The contrast is startling. Rotterdam speaks clearly and intelligently about strategy and timing while Tosspot probes him expertly. The Swede, on the other hand, merely yelled and shouted obscenities.

Surely the art of good commentary is to make the video stream irrelevant. A listener should understand exactly what is happening without having to watch. Yelling “oh, shit! Did you see that?!” doesn’t really fit the bill.

An interesting trend that I have noticed over recent months is that more complicated games seem to draw out the best commentators. I’m no Starcraft fan but I appreciate the complexity and skill involved in it. And who is the most famous commentator in esports? Well it’s debatable, of course, but I’d probably hand it to Tasteless. My own favourite commentators also cast a game infamous for its under-unfriendliness – World of Warcraft. I devoted an entire column to 2GD and Zalmah a few months back.

So what makes a good commentator then? Simplifying the complicated, coupled with the knowledge required to do that is vital. When you think about it that way, it’s no surprise that the best commentators come from the most complicated games. Enthusiasm goes without saying, but the ability to direct that into something intelligent and listenable should not be underestimated either.

The world's first weekly esports column, The Zechs Files, returns next Tuesday. Really, no more time off!