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One of the oft-wondered questions in eSports is whether the players can actually hear the commentators talking during gameplay and if so, how much of an effect that has on their focus. In this piece, we aim to delve deeper into this topic and find out more on how players overcome this potential problem. eSport commentators, often known as Shoutcasters, provide clear game reports for the public. They talk about all the details about what is going on in the field! It’s true that casters provide clarification for viewers and increase their excitement. But what about our eSport players? Can eSport players hear these commentators or shoutcasters? The answer is no. They are not supposed to hear any kind of background noise. However, there have been many cases reported, where players reacted based on what they could hear from the commentators and crowd. How is that possible? Below we explain what exactly are the different scenarios and how they stop players form listening to commentators. Shoutcasters and eSport Players First, let’s get a deep understanding of eSport, players, and commentators. As the name suggests, eSport is also a type of sports. A competition based on video games. They are called electronic sports as well. They mostly happen in the form of different tournaments. In these tournaments, teams and individual players compete against each other. Everyone who participates to compete is considered as an eSport player. Before entering a tournament, eSport players go through a heavy training. This training time can vary from player to player. Training is majorly based on studying different strategies or mind training. Then, well-trained players go through different qualifying competitions to participate in a tournament. Also Read: How Much do eSports Shoutcasters Earn? How to Increase eSports Streaming Audience? Who are eSports Shoutcasters? One of the jobs of an eSports shoutcaster is to give a live commentary on competitive games. You can say that an eSport commentator isn’t different from our sports broadcasters. They both do the same jobs. There are three main types of shoutcasters in eSports. Game Analysts This panel consists of people who discuss each player or team. They show an overall statistic and their prediction on that basis. Analysts are the one who has a full history of player gaming experience. Announcers They play a major role in live broadcasting. We are sure you have already guessed what they do! They make every big announcement for a live audience. And talk about how the game is going so far. So, they make it easy for the public to understand the whole game. These play-by-play broadcasters consist of pair. Among the two, one will talk about action strategy and the other will give more information about what occurred on the screen. eSport Hosts Hosts mostly consist of pair as well. They engage the audience and interview eSport players. However, their job is not limited to the public. They interview our favorites stars of eSports and let us know what they are up to! These interviews often happen before the game start. Sometimes, hosts commentators also interview-winning teams and other runners. That’s how we get insight into how a player is feeling at that particular time. More information on the role of an eSports shoutcaster can be found here. And if you are looking to improve as a shoutcaster, check our 16 tips to remember as a beginner here. Commentators' Impact on Players As we know the commentator’s main purpose is to facilitate only the public. This has nothing to do with players. But how players block commentary during the whole event? It depends on the tournament’s players are participating. Organizers use the following two equipment: Sound-Proof Booth Noise-canceling headphones Many big tournaments including ESL rely on noise-canceling headsets. And while some big ones also prefer sound-proof booths. Also Read: The Franchise System in eSports Importance of Data Analytics in eSports What is a Sound-Proof Booth in eSports? Sound-Proof Booths are designed to work like any-sound proof room. The main purpose of these booths is to diminish the sound from inside to outdoor. You can compare them to an ideal, perfect noise-free place. So, everything remains confidential. Soundproof booths in gaming arenas are mostly made up of two materials. A material that absorbs sound or material that reduces sound. The fact is no background noise or sound can be blocked completely. So, a sound-proof room works on the mechanism of volume-reduction. However, it’s still impossible for players to listen to outside because of high-pitch game sounds. Impact of soundproof booths on players Many pro players prefer sound-proof booths over other technologies. The reason is they remain more focused throughout the game. However, there are some downsides to using soundproof both in tournaments. Below are the positive and negative impacts of these booths Pros More professional for players No background noises Less distraction Cons The environment can be sometimes overwhelming Players have zero connection to the crowd Dampens the excitement of an overall game Many players were asked about playing in sound poof booths vs using noise-canceling headphones. Most of them voted for sound-proof booths. Stefano ‘Verbo’ Disalvo – Immortals – Overwatch says: "At an event, I can confidently say I prefer a soundproof booth over noise-canceling headphones due to the noise from the crowd being distracting while I play. Also, being in a booth allows me to use headphones of my choice which creates comfort and results in better gameplay on stage." What are Noise-Cancelling Headsets? They are the same in size and shape as regular headsets. But they decrease the background noise pressure and dampen the voices. They are designed on the mechanism of active noise control. ‘Active noise control’ is a method that works by reducing the annoying noises by the addition of second sound. This second sound is specifically intended to stop the first one. Impact of noise-cancelling headsets on players As technology is developing, tournaments are proffering noise-canceling headphones. And as we can all agree that playing games are more fun when interacting with the crowd. However, through noise-canceling headphones, players can listen to the crowd and even casters. This can be a big drawback of using head-sets. Below are the pros and cons of using noise-canceling headsets. Pros More interaction with the crowd More hype and excitement compared to inside booths Fresh and open environment Cons Chances of distraction Listening to the crowd or caster can give vital information about the opposite team. Some pro players also prefer noise-canceling headsets over booths. As it provides a more challenging environment. Max ‘qojqva’ Bröcker – Formerly Ninjas in Pyjamas – Dota 2 says: "I prefer to play out in the open with noise-canceling headphones. I experienced that the air in the booth becomes stale very fast, thus making it sometimes hard to fully concentrate." "When playing out in the open you also feel the reaction of the crowd much better. When you’re winning and they cheer on you it boosts the team morale, but when you’re on the losing team you have to try to ignore the chants." How do eSports Tournaments Manage The Noise Effect on Players? We all know that eSport players are played in tournaments. There are different formats of these tournaments. Following are the basic formats of all big tournaments Single Elimination Double Eliminations Groups Eliminations If you think that eSport tournaments are nothing like regular tournaments, you might be wrong! These tournaments are physical sports events just like others. They include officials, referees, and also the live crowd. Sometimes these tournaments can be a part of a huge agency like DreamHack. Or there can be competitions like World Cyber Games and world cup like Fortnite. Forming a big tournament of eSports isn’t so easy. It depends on the strong relationship between three major subjects: Game Developers Big Broadcasters Event Organizers Depending on different situations and tournaments, there are different setup for teams or players. Some setups include only noise-canceling headsets while others provide big sound-reducing booths for teams. Instances of Players Getting Affected by Commentary Many pro players were interviewed and asked about casters' comments. According to them, sometimes they were able to listen to commentators. And it affected their whole gameplay. For example, when Maikelele (famous eSport player) was asked how casters' voice affected his game, he said the following according to Redbull.com. He responded: "The first memory that comes to my mind is at DreamHack Summer 2015. We played our first group play game against NaVi and I remember the speakers for the crowd were behind us so it made everything much "clearer" to hear casters, footsteps et cetera." "In that game, we had a couple of situations where I'm pretty sure NaVi took advantage of this and a lot of times did the perfect move." "With that said, yes, it's very common to hear different things from casters and just the game. It affects the game in some way but maybe not too much since it's not reliable to play for the speaker sound. Soundproof booths are very much needed in all tournaments." Similarly, another pro player "Verbo” said, "Yes, I've been to an event where the casters and crowd could be easily heard. It affects gameplay since hearing people get excited or casters talking about the game life can take you out of focus." Final Thoughts Based on our research, the majority of players were able to listen to commentators. Sometimes, it gave vital information about opposite teams, and sometimes players got distracted. Professional players prefer to play in booths and not just wearing headsets. But it depends on tournaments organizers as they are the ones to decide the whole setup. Soundproof booths and noise-canceling headphones both have pros and cons.