Before the world went asunder and the Overwatch League Homestands were cancelled, at the first D.C home game I was able to sit down with Josh “Sideshow” Wilkinson, former desk analyst and current colour caster for the Overwatch League. After day of casting, including being the voices covering the infamous seven-map Toilet Bowl/El Classico match between the Boston Uprising and Houston Outlaws. After such an exciting day I got the chance to sit down and talk to Sideshow about the start of his career in esports, what the transition to casting has been like, and things he wants to do help improve Overwatch’s esport scene.

Where did you get your start in esports? TF2, that was the first thing I got into. I started playing when I was 15. In 2014 I started casting my first TF2 tournaments, did that until 2016, and it coincided with getting kicked out med school. Since then it’s been stick as many fingers in as many pies as possible and eventually one of those pies will work out. When Overwatch started a lot of the TF2 people were switching over there. For me, the best way to find your way into esports as a career is to find a game that you think is going to pop off and try to make original content around that game, try to attach yourself to that game as it rises. I actually didn’t even like Overwatch when I first started, but that's the thing with esports as well. Every esport, every sport has something interesting that can grab you. If that’s the case, what about the game is keeping you there and keeps you passionate about Overwatch? So, many people retire, so many people express their unhappiness with playing, what keeps you here? The thing that keeps me in OW is that it pays my bills. Okay but besides that. Well the career aspect is so huge! Once you cement your name in a title, it’s hard to leave. But even in the pro player aspect, like you said. Saebyeolbe was thinking about retiring last season because he was benched for a few months. Blows my fucking mind, that it’s even the case at all. Like yeah, it might suck to be on the bench for a while, but you’re a big name, you’re still a pretty good player, but you have to think about it as a genuine career. Thankfully with the Overwatch League, the scene has been making a lot of changes in the last years. I was able to do two years of desk work, and now I have the opportunity with casting, which I am loving by the way. It’s a totally new skillset. You have to entertain with your voice and carry the narrative, not miss things. It’s just fun, not just to diversify my career, I find a great joy in being able to test myself. The process of learning and getting different stuff and earning peer respect is a huge driver for me. Which is weird because I was a lazy fuck when I was in university, so I dunno where this came from… There's something great about crafting a narrative and being proud with the work you've produced.