Commentators like the legendary IFC Yipes, Chris Matrix, TeamSpooky, Persia, Tasty Steve, and many more throughout the years have made it clear that the people on the mic are the organs of the scene regardless of your corner of the fighting game community (FGC). Breaking down the barrier of what’s going on through play-by-play analysis while also entertaining viewers is one of the hardest tasks in the FGC.

I was very curious about what a successful commentator thinks about getting started, practicing, handling negative feedback, and juggling commentary as a player. This led me to a well-known yet new face, Kofi “Koustics” Miller. Koustics is known for his commentary of Arc System Works’ Dragon Ball FighterZ and is a mainstay at Bum163’s “House of Chaos” local and “City of Mayhem” online tournament series. When Koustics isn’t competing, he’s on the mic either educating viewers, cracking jokes, or stirring the pot.

With limited experience and an invitation to commentate Bandai’s official Dragon Ball FighterZ World Tour tournament series, Koustics is already a reliable resource for how to improve your commentary. Thanks again for taking the time to speak with us about this underappreciated art!

When did you first get into commentary? Is it something that you were always interested in or did it just fall in your lap?

"So the first time I was ever really introduced to commentary and fighting games in general was through a Dragon Ball FighterZ tournament commentated by Yipes and Persia," said Koustics. "After that I realized how fun and cool it seemed and decided that, along with actually getting good at the game and being able to play at a decently high level, I wanted to become a good commentator as well."

Have you ever practiced your commentary?

"I don’t really think that commentary is something you practice. In my case it was just something that came to me. I see it as mostly a communication thing. You just need to be able to clearly communicate with your partner, whether it’s the actual audience listening or your co-commentator beside you. In the school I went to we had to take public speaking so things like nerves for me weren’t a thing. I was able to just sit down and see what worked."

What do you think are the most important parts of commentary?

"Find your own style, find comedic timing, and know what you’re talking about. A lot of people get into commentary thinking it’s an easy pastime when it isn’t. When I first got into it I started off emulating people that inspired me like Yipes and Chris Matrix for sure, but as I grew and learned I started finding my own style. I learned how long to keep a joke going and studied the actual game to optimize my commentary. What I like to think is that commentary is a competitive field, and that sounds out there, but it is. You need to go out there thinking that you want to win just like in a game."

Do you think it's hard to juggle wanting to commentate with actually playing and getting better at the game at a high level like you’ve been doing?

"I actually think that juggling playing the game I’m commentating at a high level actually compliments my commentary due to me learning more about the game and showing what I need to be looking for. A lot of times things happen and as a new commentator to a game you’re going to be left wondering what happened. That’s a knowledge check. In the case of actually playing the game at a decent level and then seeing it happen while on commentary it gets cleared up. I said earlier that knowing the game you’re commentating is important so playing it is even better."

How would you advise new commentators to deal with the negativity that comes with it?

"When it comes to me, I don’t mind it at all, sometimes I even go looking for it just for a laugh. You’ve got to have that kind of attitude going into this, especially when you talk like I do haha. But there are some people that aren’t like that so if you aren’t about it then just don’t go looking for it. Remember that if you don’t get haters then something isn’t right and that with each hater there’s gonna be like three more people that love you and what you’re doing."

I know Bum is always telling you all to advertise and put yourselves out there and I agree with him. Do you have any advice when it comes to that?

"I believe that going into this or any other type of pastime or job like this makes social media a thing you need. Have a social media presence. You’ll always see me tweeting this and that just to keep my name around and in feeds. One thing that I always say nowadays is that Twitter and Twitch go hand in hand so if you’re on Twitch you should have the other to advertise and keep in touch."

How did you feel when you were contacted to be a commentator for the World Tour?

"Yo, I lost my mind. I still remember when I first started going to the House of Chaos (HOC) and had around 500 followers. After a while it got to people asking 'When’s Koustics gonna be on?' 'Is Koustics gonna be on commentary?' All of a sudden my followers jumped and after a while Bum was saying he had to talk to me and another HOC commentator, Posy. I haven’t told anyone this but that day Bum pulled me and Posy aside and said I need you to be on your best these next few days and brought up that we got brought up to commentate for Bandai’s Dragon Ball World Tour. All I could do was say 'Say less.' That’s the exact kind of opportunity I was waiting for when I started this. I still want to thank Bum, Bandai, Damascus, and Tyrant for that huge opportunity."

It looks like Koustics will for sure be sticking around, both in the competition and the commentator’s booth. It’ll be interesting to see where he goes next with the release of so many new fighting games such as the upcoming Guilty Gear Strive and the eventual return of the offline fighting game events everyone has missed so much. You can keep up with him on his Twitter @KillerKofi and get more involved in the FGC.