At the HGC Western Clash event in Katowice, Poland, a select group of veteran analysts were chosen to provide in-depth analysis and play-by-play commentary to the viewing audience. Kori “Vandie” Bassi, a current Heroes of the Storm caster for the Australia and New Zealand region, was one of them.



Not a newcomer to the casting desk, Vandie sat down with myself before the grand finals of the event to talk about her journey, how the live audience threw her off and what her future may hold in this industry.



For those who are not aware of your previous work, how would you introduce yourself to them?



My name is “Vandie” or Kori and I live in Australia, and yes, that is the real ‘down under.’ I’ve always played games ever since I was a kid. Everyone was always like, ‘She’ll grow out of it, she’ll grow out of it.’ I never did.



After playing games I wanted another outlet for them because as you get older, you’re maybe not as good as you were and I also wasn’t so happy with my day-to-day job. I said to myself ‘You know what? I love playing games as a hobby, let's see if I can merge the two,” so I got into shoutcasting. That was a nice hobby and outlet but that was really it.

" They asked for my contact details to have a chat and I was so nervous. "



I remembered the advice that some friends gave me years before I got into shoutcasting where they said I had a great voice and personality and would be good at it. In the past, I remember telling them, “Nah, I just like playing the games.” I thought about it more and gave it a shot with HotS and here I am.

Was Heroes the first game you tried doing shout-casting for?



No, it was another MOBA that I’m not going to say.





You started with the other game to develop your own voice and practice but what was it about Heroes that made you decide this was the game you were going to focus on professionally?



Well, like I said, I was into MOBAs, especially after the original DOTA. I thought, ‘What do I like about DOTA?’ and then League of Legends came out and I was like, ‘That’s so cool. They’ve taken DOTA and simplified it.” I found that the games in League were taking a bit too long so then HotS was out at the time and all my friends were playing because they got invited to the beta.



Eventually, once it became open beta to where it was open access and everyone could try it, I gave it a shot and I thought, ‘Eh. I still like League better.’ After a while friends told me ‘Come on back, it’s changed, it’s different now,’ and I tried it again and what really drew me in was how fast and fun the game was. You got it and could immediately start brawling.



After that, I fell in love with it. They simplified the MOBA genre even more but they’ve done it in such a great way so that the heroes that I’ve loved seeing in Blizzard games could all come together.

How did you get involved with where you are now in the ANZ Heroes community?



I started out with ANZHeroes and was originally doing writing, helping them with marketing and stuff like that. There was this guy called Disconcur, he’s the one who owns ANZHeroes along with his wife. I reached out saying, “Hey, I heard you were shoutcasting stuff and I would like to put my hand up and get involved.” They were like, “Yeah, great, we’ll get you started.”

" Everyone memes NA. I’m not saying they have inferior competition, I just prefer [EU] storylines "

I would do just community-run events and from there Gamestar, another esports organization who was running a lot of HotS stuff at the time, reached out because one of their casters just left the scene. They said, “The next season is starting up and we do some stuff. Would you like to get involved with us?” After that, it just went on from there.





Do you remember the feeling when you got that call that you would finally be given a chance to do shoutcasting which you’ve been working so hard to do?



Oh, my God, I do. I was so nervous. It started because we were pretty good friends with the Blizzard ANZ crew because they work so hard for ANZ HotS and they reached out saying, “They may be considering you. Don’t read into it too much.” And I was like, “I’m not. I’m honored I’m even being considered.” They asked for my contact details to have a chat and I was so nervous. I couldn’t do it the day they wanted to because I was working but I remember being so nervous and excited at the same time.



It was a dream come true.







How long have you done work professionally in term of shoutcasting for Heroes?



It’s been a while now. Maybe a little over a year and a half now.





Have you ever looked at the HGC stage and the veteran Heroes’ casters and admired from afar hoping you’d one day be there?



Absolutely. I look at Gillyweed and she’s just the most amazing woman. Even meeting her in person, she’s ever bit she is on TV. Even Dreadnaught as well, a wealth of knowledge.



You look at these people and I admire their work and how they carry themselves. The manner that they can share their knowledge in a fun and entertaining way, that’s a serious skill.





What was that first feeling when you walked into the production room and met the people whom you’ve been admiring and you’re now one of them?



Maybe still not one of them, you have to earn your stripes. When I got to the hotel I arrived a little while before everyone else. I remember going downstairs to get something to eat and I bumped into Gillyweed in the corridor and the first thing she did was introduce herself and gave me a really big hug. I was so taken aback thinking, “Is this actually a fairy tale? Are you real?” I can’t even describe the feeling other than really warm and fuzzy.

Generally, it takes quite a bit of time to develop a rapport with the other casters when doing play by play or just on the analysis desk. How has it gone for you so far at Western Clash?



It’s been interesting but it’s something you’re used to when you’re shoutcasting. At first, it can be a little difficult given that each person has their own styles but it’s about finding and adjusting your own ways. You can tell yourself, “Alright, this person is big on analysis, I’ll try to do more of the play-by-play.” You can also just have a discussion about it so, what we did before the cast, was say, “I’d be more comfortable if you took the lead on this one. Feel free to toss to me but I’d prefer you to lead.” It’s just the person I am, I will feed off you. You’re welcome to steer this in the direction you want to go.

What was the feeling like when you were up on the HGC stage right before it was the “lights, camera, action” moment? Were you freaking out? Surprisingly cool?



Definitely nervous but cooler than I thought I would be. I had done work with ESL so we had a studio, the lights, the cameras and I got my nerves out there but what really threw me off was the live audience and the distractions. That part sometimes was a little challenging and really did make me nervous. I felt on some days my casting wasn’t really up to the standards that I would have really liked it to be but, honestly, the community has been overwhelming in terms of positivity.



I’ve been so surprised. Normally the internet people will pick you apart but everyone has been so supportive and it helps calm those nerves.



How well do you know the two regions competing at Western Clash since your primary focus is ANZ and their meta?



ANZ sits within the American region so you’d think I’d be a lot better at the NA teams, I actually follow EU a lot closer just because I find their meta so weird and wacky and they have that slightly higher level of competition. Everyone memes NA. I’m not saying they have inferior competition, I just prefer the storylines, the teams and I know them a lot better for the EU scene.



In terms of my EU knowledge, pretty great. In terms of my NA knowledge, I had a basic understanding as I watched past Clashes, Mid-Season Brawls and Blizzcons but I wouldn’t say I was 1000%. I had to go into study-mode and it was made so enjoyable by Gilly and Dread and even JHow now. They made the process pretty easy.





Now that you’ve had this experience, could you see yourself transitioning over someday to an HGC NA or EU big stage?



I would love to. That would be a goal, pipeline dream or New Year’s Resolution but absolutely, even Korea. Before Merryday’s retire, I was his biggest fan I like to think, so even the Korean or Chinese scene, as they’re closer to Australia would be a dream. It’s a goal I would love to strive for.







What can people expect from you going forward now that they know you a little better?



I like doing a lot of streaming, I still do shoutcasting as I'm covering the HGC ANZ premier league so you can catch me then casting all the other people from down under. I’d like to continue casting and you can find me online.



Twitch: twitch.tv/vandie_

Twitter: twitter.com/vandie_