It has become kind of a habit writing these blogs after a big event like the one that happened this weekend and at least a few people managed to read through last time, so I decided why the hell not try my luck again. Besides this time, I have learned a good number of important things.



First of all, there is justice in the universe. I have made a habit of looking at my co-passengers at the airport gate, trying to guess who I might be seated with. There are definitely people who might be more interesting than others. Girl in yoga pants, guy who actually speaks English, businessman who might keep to himself or at the other end of the scale, hysterical mother with crazy child or obnoxious woman taking her confusion out on nearby people. And well, coming home from Cologne the two latter were seated right next to each other instead of next to me. This turned out to be doubly important because once we "landed" in Copenhagen we had to sit in the aircraft for another 2½ hours before we could deboard, because the winds were knocking down the mobile stairs. This situation actually got to a point where it was starting to resemble a kind of reverse DieHard2 scenario, as the airport was literally running out of space to land and park the planes and had to consider re-routing all air traffic to other airports. But honestly this really was just an extra gift at the end of an amazing experience at the ESL studios for the Raidcall EMS one finals.



The trip down there was much less exciting than all that though. I got to the Art Hotel, which I have to plainly state was as ugly as satan himself, and after having checked in I went to my room, proceeded to open my luggage and had my Macbook Pro fall out and die on the floor of the hotel room. It was old anyway and I never really liked it, but starting like that felt a little dumb nonetheless. After that I met up with Tweeday and Petar from HLTV.org and soon after the NiP crew and Melly and we all went for dinner, which was a delight. Steel arrived later in the evening in time to get caught at the hotel bar and start a pretty vicious cycle of little to no sleep, well played Josh.



The next day we went to the ESL studios two hours earlier than the games started for roll call. For some reason I was incredibly tired, and even when I am not I have a tendency to look like I might be stoned out of my mind, but it was a sobering experience going through the rehearsal where we had a program schedule that neatly structured every transition, graphics, location, caster, interview and anything else you can think of down to the last minute of every part of the show. It was obvious that this is something Joe Miller, Jason Kaplan, Pansy and ReDeYe were very used too. Not that they were going through the motions like a boring routine, there was plenty of joking about and everyone was in a great mood, but it really did set the standard very high in my mind. There was also a stage manager whom you had to inform about your whereabouts leaving the studio, a producer and 3 cameramen and the whole crew was very much symbiotic. Obviously a producer can lay down the law and tell everyone how it has to be, but it felt like anyone who had an opinion about a better way to do things could chip in and a discussion would be had. At this point I was starting to wonder if I would stick out as a complete amateur or not. But I think part of the professionalism of the crew and casters actually is to make sure that the guests are carried enough with them so that it all feels very natural once it gets started.



The studio itself was interesting because it featured a really active and fun German audience that could and did walk amongst cameras and crew to get free soda or pizza or whatever was on the menu. This definitely helps the overall feel and rubs off on the casting and the energy in the room. Another fun experience was during makeup, where a sweet and very professional girl helped us to look our very best, which can be an emotional experience and even lead the tallest amongst to shed a tear, but I wont mention any names. The casting itself was just a lot of fun. I could write down a lot about how it differed casting with Lauren, Joe or Jason but I think what it boils down to is the atmosphere. If the people you're with love the game, you feel safe enough to have fun with them and you know they will have your back if you fuck up, then the cast becomes natural and fun and I hope that translated to everyone at home. But all these different entities don't really work together if not for two key people, the producer and the host, and I don't think there are currently many people out there that do a better job than ReDeYe when it comes to hosting.



There was one part of this whole weekend that really scared me, and it came as a complete surprise. Paul asked me if I would be up for doing the post-game stats analysis, which sounded like an easy job, it wasn't. I didn't even realise it until the producer said in my ear "Okay Anders you're up next" that I had no experience doing this at all, standing up with a hand-held microphone alone in front of a screen? I felt and must have looked like a deer caught in the headlights, and I was pretty close to asking if I could be exempt from doing it again once it was done. But at the same time I thought that the best way to improve was just to keep at it. Pansy gave me some really good pointers and the second I stepped of my phone buzzed with Sir Scoots tweeting me to stand the fuck still, which I tried to do later on. On the whole this weekend was a strong reminder of how much there still is to learn, but also a good view into how much fun Counter-Strike really can be when its done right. And even with all the production quality of the EMS tournament, we are still just scratching the surface of what might be possible in the future.



Speaking of the future, my current schedule is shaping up to be pretty insane. On the 18th of November I will be going to Stockholm for Fragbite Masters, and from there will travel to Beijing for the MSI BeaTit tournament, and then back to Stockholm. If I am fortunate enough to be picked up for casting DHW, that would mean I would be away from home from the 18th until the 6th of December, just making it home for my birthday on the 7th! Crazy times, but I am looking forward to all of it, and the support I've got so far will be a big help in keeping me alive through November.



I think that is all there is, stay tuned @NiPgamingTV on twitter if you want to keep up with what I am doing.

