Coverage, we need to talk.
I’ve given you chances many a time. I am certainly no expert, but the viewer in me, the certified audio engineer in me, the fan in me—each of them is trying very hard. We need to talk, because I know you’re capable of so much more than this. Your potential can rival the production quality of any major esport out there.
We need to talk, because that potential just isn’t realized, despite the tools at your disposal. Because a raw number isn’t indicative of what could have been if the flaws were quashed. We need to talk because, while teams are the focus of events (and they very much should be); if I can’t see the actual important, relevant information that the typical Magic viewer looks for, then I consider the entire shot obstructed. If I see the camera change focus as soon as the active player draws what could be their final draw step of the game or match or tournament, I consider the experience, the suspense, the feel of these events . . . kind of flushed.
We need to talk because, well, I get it. I get that you have a lot on your plate. I’ve been there. I’ve had to be on point with helping the likes of Will Smith and Heatbeat sound as good as possible, and there’s only one take. No takesies backsies. I get that my voice, despite my experience with a good portion of the production side of things, isn’t really any more valued than some other random person. I get that things really don’t work out as good in execution as it does on paper. I also get that this isn’t the first time mistakes will happen, and it won’t be the last.
That’s not why we need to talk.
We need to talk because some of these mistakes have been present since we started going in hard with coverage, like the massive amounts of downtime being filled with nothing but interviews about the lore of the current set—replayed 15 times. Or the multitude of erroneous displays of a player’s accomplishments.
I’m not going to sit here and say “it isn’t hard!” or anything passive-aggressively condescending like that. It’s a nightmare of a job, and that’s coming from someone who only has experience in half of the tasks involved. I also understand that it, like near everything else in life, is a constant learning experience. You all have gone so far beyond what I thought many a card game production was capable of, and I definitely praise each and every person behind the scenes, in front of the camera, and anyone else that has had a hand in the progress of how far everyone has come. The stories that are told for each tournament, the amount of focus put on players, and the teams surrounding the players, and the effort put into building the game around the value of making things look strong for the average player. This is all commendable and these should definitely not be overseen.
But can we talk? Just a bit?
Anthony has been competing in games for the better part of his adult life and is dedicated to improving his game, improving his community, improving himself as a person, and most importantly having fun and enjoying himself while doing so. You can check out his stream to find out which video game is the latest to catch his attention.