The International 2019: Technical Difficulties and Boring Commentary
The first day of The International 2019 had exciting games and surprising hero choices, but it also had its fair share of issues. Two main points of criticism on social media were the audio problems on streams and the boring casting combinations.
Fans complained about the audio problems and sleep-inducing casting during the Evil Geniuses vs. Natus Vincere match in Group B. Commentator Kevin “Purge” Godec and pro players Kim “Febby” Yong-min and Nico “Gunnar” Lopez were heavily criticized, with viewers in the Twitch chat calling their voices monotone and their analysis boring.
Some viewers even claimed that listening to them was enough to put them to sleep. It was clear that the pro players were not comfortable on the mic, and they remained mostly silent during teamfights. One Reddit user likened the trio to three comedians trying to play the straight man.
While some viewers defended Purge and Febby, many agreed that Gunnar was the weakest link. Suggestions were made to move him to the analyst desk. The volume issues, audio glitches, and underwhelming commentary continued on the second day.
However, viewers noticed improvements during the second day. The trio showed more energy and enthusiasm, and both Febby and Gunnar provided more information about the players and the pro scene. This allowed Purge to focus more on his commentator role and play-by-play analysis.
While the casting combination is still not perfect, the improvement has been appreciated by viewers.
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