This week Kevin ‘qxc’ Riley is in California to cast the WCS America Round of 16. The veteran Terran player has been doing a lot of casting recently with appearances at WCS and IEM events, so we sat down to talk a bit about his recent trip to the casters desk.
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For the last couple years you’ve had appearances on talk shows and as a guest caster at events, but recently you’ve been casting much more frequently. What’s prompted the change?
qxc: I decided to do more casting as I was having a lot of trouble playing. I was getting very frustrated in practice and needed a break from it all. Casting was a great way for me to stay involved with the scene and continue to do what I enjoy, while distancing myself from the stresses of competition for a time.
What has been the most difficult about changing your roles in the Starcraft scene?
Sometimes I get a bit sad that I’m not one of the players in the event. I’m also not really used to working as a team, so it’s taking me some time to adjust to that as well.
Kevin “qxc” Riley
What is most enjoyable part of casting at major events?
I love being able to hype the crowd up and get them excited about the game.
If you could choose, who would be the one person you really want to cast with, or the one match you really want to cast?
I would most like to cast with Harstem as I haven’t had a chance to cast with him in a long time. Perhaps we could do Flash vs Zest rematch at next IEM – hah!
Which event has been your favorite to cast so far?
My favorite so far has been WCS AM. The crowd was really spectacular and the games were top notch as well. Everything seemed to flow best there both on and off the camera for me.
Which event are you hoping to cast next?
I’ve actually already decided that this will be my final casting job for an undetermined amount of time. It has been fun, but I’m aching to put real effort toward being a player again.
Who do you see coming out on top of WCS NA this season?
Trust in Taeja.
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Big thanks to Kevin for taking the time to answer a few questions. You can see (hear) qxc in action during the WCS AM Ro16 on the 9th, 10th, 16th, and 17th of this month. Let’s hope for some epic games!