Enkanis: "Casting is like science"

WePlay talent Alexander "Enkanis" Polishchuk was the guest of a TV show about eSports on the Ukrainian news channel "Channel 24". He has spoken on how to achieve success in his profession and whether it is possible to earn good money in this field and commented on the wary attitude of the older generation towards the young sport.

According to Polishchuk, to become a good caster you need to practice the game a lot and take time to develop your professional skills.

How do you become a commentator and a eSports athlete?

As cliché as it may sound, you have to give it yourself all completely to the game. I'm not saying you have to play 24/7. Although for players, sometimes that's true. Casting is like science, you have to keep up with the times. You have to learn new information for yourself because it's a young profession that's evolving every day.

So for a good caster, you really have to spend a lot of time in the game. But besides that, it would be nice to learn how to talk, breathe and distribute yourself on air. I can say that I am still learning, although I have been in this profession for 5 years.

Why did you choose Counter-Strike?

This game is a landmark through my life. Both Counter-Strike and Half-Life were the first games I saw when I visited computer club in a small Berdichev town. So it was no secret why I chose Counter-Strike.

Why do most people think that computer games are degradation?

This is already a problem of raising of the older generation, even I was brought up with the idea that games are bad, and it's an addiction, it will not lead to anything good. I think this trope can lead us to a bigger problem, a more global problem - a child needs to be invested with the idea: that too much is not healthy. Because a lot of things in our world can be psychologically addictive. By the example of many people who work in esports, we can say that this "degradation" can be your future profession.

How much can I earn in esports?

This is the most popular and tricky question, I always get asked. I can tell you that when I came into esports, I had a salary of about $50 or $100 a month. On the other hand, esports is a very young and fast-growing field and more and more investment comes in here every year. Indeed, as such, there is no threshold for earning here. I can claim that the top players in different teams and disciplines earn up to several tens of thousands of dollars per month. This is just the salary, not including prize championships.

What professional diseases are there in eSports?

Yes, there are some diseases. Many players can suffer from tunnel syndrome. This is carpal tunnel syndrome, which can develop as a result of constantly repeating the same hand and finger movements. No one is immune from this - neither a professional player, nor a person who just sits at the computer and performs other functions. We had cases among the top players who had to go to surgery.

Another problem is emotional burnout, because players very often travel from one time zone to another. They move from one country to another, so they can lose motivation for the game.

At what age do people in your profession retire?

I wouldn't use the word "retirement" for our industry, there hasn't been a generational change as such yet. But of course there are people who played in 2003-2005, and they still do. For instance Swedish eSports athlete Patrik Lindberg has come a long way and he's still one of the best players.

Playing no longer at the top level. Many players move into the profession of commentator, coach, manager. As for my retirement, I've been in the industry for 15 years - I started as a player, and now I'm a commentator and analyst. I'm 30 years old, so retirement is still a long way off.

Origin: games.24tv.ua