David "Godz" Parker © [unknown]

The convention hall was full of screams and people clapping. The scene was the 2011 ESTC DOTA Championships in Thailand and a booming voice peppered the air with commentary describing the events displayed on the center stage.

David "GoDz" Parker’s voice was shot - hoarse from screaming into a microphone all day. He looked around at the spectacle with his heart racing. Parker finally did it. He was casting a Dota tournament for the first time. Sure, his audience was an online stream with a modest 800 viewers and his setup was tucked away in the corner of the tournament floor, but Parker's passion was unfolding before his eyes.

"I lost my voice after three hours, I was shouting at the top of my lungs. I was so excited," Parker said. "Just meeting the players and teams. These people were people I worshipped in some ways. I found myself as a part of everything - the first moment I felt I had something to offer the community."

From Playing to Casting

Parker is a former pro player and manager with the Australian Dota team, Natural 9, but found his true calling with getting behind the microphone as a caster. It wasn’t until the release of Dota’s sequel, however, that he got his biggest break and it was something of an accident. "Beyond the Summit" (BTS) actually started as a project for the streaming of his tournament, the Gigabyte Dota Masters in June 2012.

"Beyond the Summit started as something that was not meant to be. It was just a project of mine that was meant to stream the one tournament I did."

The coverage and creation of BTS was meant to showcase an entire region of Dota that never received attention. "I was always invested in the Asian Dota scene, it was in my time zone," Parker said. "When Dota 2 came out, there was a huge volume of coverage to the Western scene. I wanted to organize a tournament for Asia."

BTS was a success in tournament organizing, but Parker eventually partnered up with current co-castor David "LD" Gorman to focus more on casting.

"We organized one successful tournament, the Gigabyte Dota Masters, and I wanted to organize another," Parker said. "But gradually we wanted to lean toward casting and focus on the production side. The studio experience. I felt like this (BTS) could be more permanent around that time."

The Challenges

The timing wasn't always right for Parker. While BTS' meteoric rise in popularity was quick, there were many difficulties that could have ended the group. Between family concerns and geography issues, Parker needed his group partner, David "LD" Gorman to shoulder the work.

"There were a lot of sleepless nights," Parker said. "I wasn't in the stage in my life where I could do what I wanted. I had to make the necessary move. If I wasn't working with LD, BTS would have fallen apart."

David Godz Parker © Sergio A. Molina

Tasting Success

Now, BTS is one of the most successful Dota streaming channels and groups available. They were picked up and verified by Valve to cast qualifiers for the company's signature tournament, "The International."

Part of that success is due to Parker's commentary. He’s generally known as someone who is versatile and can adjust on the fly to his co-commentator. It is BTS' style to not have rigid roles like analyst, color commentary, or play-by-play so Parker does a little of everything.

"He is strong at adapting to co-casters and can have a conversation with anyone," said part-time BTS co-castor David "LuminousInverse" Zhang . "He'll bring up small details that make the game more interesting."

For the Love of Dota

When asked about what he loved about Dota, Parker's voice rose a little. He was in the midst of a seven-hour cast.

"I just find Dota the most interesting thing out there. It's something that brings me so much enjoyment," Parker said. "From different possibilities, new mechanics, or hero compositions, it's exciting to watch. I don't get the same experience or challenge in other games. Casting Dota is the closest thing to playing it. As a caster, I can convey the same passion."