The prize money for the championship exceeded 150 million yen! An “e-sports commentator” who is busier than the players talked about “the craze and the other side of it.

Follow to the community of players.

–Hameko. You are also good at English, aren’t you?

I’m not sure if I’m good at English, but I’m good at listening to some extent. I used to watch gaming tournaments overseas all the time, and I also like music, so I listen to Western music, from the classics like the Beatles and the Eagles, to a little later on, Lecchili (Red Hot Chili Peppers), and of course, the current stuff, which I think helps. It seems that language learning is “by ear,” and the more you listen, the more you understand the words. I started by listening and looking up the words I didn’t understand later, and surprisingly, I was able to understand the words quickly. If you know English or Chinese, you can access the core of the world’s trends more quickly and deeply, so I wish I had studied more during my formal education (laughs).

–(Laughs) – Is there anything else that you find useful?

I think it is important that I like reading. I read quite a lot, and I really like the essays of Tatsuhiko Shibusawa. He writes about difficult things in beautiful, if a little difficult, sentences. He makes me read them. I still learn a lot from him in my work of conveying things to people and stimulating their appetite for knowledge.

— (Looking at the waiting image on your phone) “Heart Catch Pretty Cure! is your favorite?

I love the Pretty Cure Cure Marin from “Heart Catch” (laughs). (laughs) I got hooked on the Pretty Cure series about 14 years ago. I don’t get to watch it much anymore, but I learned a lot from it because the adults were really trying to entertain the kids, and they thought through what they could do to do that.

–What do you do to stay on top of trends?

What do you do to keep up with the latest trends? We explain what strategies and techniques are popular at the moment, and tell people technically that “these techniques are used and that’s why it’s so interesting”, but at the same time we need to know about the players and their community, At the same time, if you know about the players and their community, you will gain the trust of the users.

If you don’t know who the players are, what kind of relationships they have, what kind of stories they are carrying, and what is going on in the competition scene, you will be mistrusted, and that will lead to the feeling that “this person is not playing this game,” so I try to follow up on that. So I try to keep up with that.

I always check out videos of tournaments and players. What I personally pay attention to is what players say on the video feeds immediately after they have finished a battle at a tournament or other event. By watching these videos, I can check from the players’ point of view whether my perception is correct or not, and I can reconcile the differences in perception and what kind of feelings the professionals have.

–How much of the week are you in operation?

When the competition scene is active, I do commentary at least three to four days a week. During those times, I work seven days a week, considering the time I spend preparing and gathering information before and after the games (laughs). (Laughs.) It’s a lot of work, but I like games, I like conveying the fun of them, and I don’t consider it work, so maybe that’s why I’m getting by.

Thankfully, the weekends in ’26 are already somewhat filled. I would like to keep my feet on the ground there. I also continue to work as a writer, helping edit the official patch notes for the world-famous game “League of Legends.

–How much money do you make?

Well, about four figures a year (laughs).

–(Laughs.) -Do you earn money on a per-project basis?

In my case, yes. I ask Yoshimoto Kogyo to manage my work, so sometimes I receive my income through Yoshimoto, and other times I receive guarantees from event companies and companies that create broadcasting platforms.

–How do you receive offers for e-sports-related work?

Every time the order is different. Some ask me to do commentary, some ask me to be an MC, and some just ask me to “talk about something” or “just get in front of the audience and talk about something. I am sometimes asked to speak softly, or to “just get in front of the audience and say something. I would like to increase what I can do and make it more convenient for people to use.

–Do you have any important points unique to e-sports commentators?

I pay attention to the tension at each job and each site. Nowadays, e-sports events are attracting a lot of attention. There are not only serious competitions between professional players, but also events featuring V-tubers, streamers, idols, comedians, and a variety of other people. Who is going to participate and what is the purpose of the event?　The way to do it will be completely different depending on that.

–Is it necessary to be able to read the tension and atmosphere?

I am a talent, but I am not a performer. I am a TV personality, but I also take part in content production. In the end, content is all about who you are creating it for and what kind of content you are creating.　I think it all comes down to who you are creating the content for. It is not only events, but also animation, manga, and novels. Then, the approach to the target audience must be changed each time. I pay the most attention to thinking about how to make them the most interesting to watch.

–Could you tell us specifically what kind of techniques you use?

For example, we try to change the information and the way we convey it during the program. For example, in casual events, players and spectators are often casual, so we may softly explain more about the first matches, but in the finals, we may be more serious and less explanatory as usual, so that the audience can feel the passion of the game. We are conscious of the fact that we want the viewers to know how to enjoy the tournament naturally as it progresses. That’s the kind of approach I try to take.