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Interview with SUNSfan from Dotacinema
I am a very lucky guy because recently I have got the chance to chat with a great guy by the name of Shannon "SUNSfan" Scotten. SUNSfan, as his viewers and fans call him is apart of Dota Cinema, the youtube channel that is known for the top 10 dota clips of the week as well as other dota themed series such as the headshot series, top 10 fails of the week and etc. In this interview we sit down and get to know SUNSfan and ask him some dota related questions.
Thank you for joining us today SUNSFan. I think the first thing people want to know is how long have you been playing dota now?
SUNSfan: Anything for you. I originally started playing Dota as a secondary game to Counter-Strike, which I played for a ridiculous 9 years. But all in all, I played the original Dota for about 5 years.
How long have you been apart of dota cinema for?
SUNSfan: Almost exactly a year now.
What are some of your hobbies outside of dota?
SUNSfan: Well lately I haven't had much time for any hobbies. But back when time was plentiful, I loved playing basketball. Since I am now horribly out of shape, I spend most of my free time following my favorite team the Phoenix Suns. It hasn't been a good hobby as of late :(
Before you began working with dota cinema did you ever work on anything else video game related?
SUNSfan: As far back as I can remember, I've wanted to be involved in the video game business in some respect. When I was in high school, it was my dream to create video games. I found out pretty fast that I had absolutely no skills for this but my passion for video games has never wavered. And even though I never really knew what I wanted to do with my life, the one constant was wanting to be involved in the evolution of e-sports. So to make a long story short, after I gave up on pursuing my Masters, I was feeling quite depressed. I did a lot of soul searching and then icefrog announced he was working on a top-secret project with Valve. Nobody knew exactly what this project would be, but we hoped and prayed it would eventually become Dota 2. I emailed him the day of the announcement telling him congratulations as well as asking for career advice. I was SHOCKED when he replied. Not only did he reply, but in so many words he just told me to follow my dreams.
So for a short period, I found some god-awful job to pay the rent and started casting the game I was currently playing (which was HoN). The group I was casting with (which included Reaves and xenocide) became pretty popular and we were eventually flown places to cast. I got to meet a lot of great people and even embarassed myself horribly in front of Day 9 (I introduced myself as Jew-9 and he was quite taken aback). Then Dota 2 came out and everything changed
Do you ever want to go back and try casting again? Who would you cast with if you could cast with anyone in the dota 2 scene?
SUNSfan: Well I've cast very inconsistently so far throughout Dota 2, but I'm looking to get back into it now that a decent amount of my work has been streamlined to a certain degree. My current co-caster's name is Hari and he's been waiting a while for me to find some free time. I could always do some more comical casting like in my past with Reaves, but nothing is planned as of yet.
So you and Reaves seem to be very friendly with each other and everyone seems to enjoy you guys as a duo. How long have you known Reaves for? Have you guys been close for a while now?
SUNSfan: We met in the parking lot of a Counter-Strike LAN. He and I absolutely carried our team until we faced the actual professionals. I thought he was a really good player so I recruited him to my Online team. Needless to say, I was wrong and he was cut within a couple weeks lol. That was at least 6 years ago at this point.
What are some of your plans for dota cinema? Do you guys plan on trying to expand your website and youtube channel?
SUNSfan: Yes! We are currently reconstructing our website from the ground up and I'm very excited for whats to come. We're trying to come out with a portion of it before the International, but nothing is set in stone. The vision I have for the website is simple. I don't quite understand why a player would need to go to multiple Dota 2 related sites to get certain information. For example visiting Dota 2 wiki for hero/mechanic information while having to go somewhere else to find Dota 2 related news. What I want is a one-stop shop for Dota 2. The biggest section we have planned, which won't be ready before the International, is a VOD section where EVERY caster's VODs will be availalble. I think this will benefit all parties as well as help grow our community.
Where do you see dota in a year from now? It’s already a very competitive sport that a lot of e-gamers watch and play but do you think it has the potential to get even bigger?
SUNSfan: Definitely! I try to balance my extreme optimism over something like this with a little bit of a realistic attitude. This game in all likely hood will not be as big as Starcraft 2. But there's no reason why we shouldn't be happy with second place. The great thing about video games is that there are room for plenty of games. With the backing of a company like Valve, this game has at LEAST a 5 year life-span, which compared to other games is unheard of. Valve and icefrog have proven that they are dedicated to the competitive scene, which is really the driving force of your game. New players will come and go, especially with a game as tough to learn as Dota 2. But the competitive scene is what really extends the life-time of a game. So I think we're in good hands.
Are you going to be attending the international 2 this year?
SUNSfan: Yes! Neil (the owner of DotaCinema) and I were invited to come enjoy the festivities months ago, but it wasn't made official until last week. I won't be doing ANYTHING, so if any of you are going to attend, be sure to come say hi. Its also going to be a lot of fun to meet everyone who makes things happen for Dota 2, including both Valve and the casters/players.
What are some of your favorite dota teams to watch and why?
SUNSfan: I usually always root for the underdog (ala the Phoenix Suns), but NaVi is just too entertaining. Aside from them, I am really happy to see the North American scene finally get some footing. Up until this point the European scene has dominated everything. On top of that, I also look forward to seeing what the Chinese and SE Asian teams can do because I haven't really had much time to follow any of them.
Of all the teams in the International 2 which team do you think has the greatest chance of winning?
SUNSfan: I think its going to be much more interesting this year because you don't know what to expect. For me, the Asian teams are kind of a wild card because I have no idea what they are capable of. Complexity is probably the hottest team right now so it should be a lot of fun to see if that will continue. And then there is the dyamic of a team like Darer with such a famous (or infamous in some circles) player in Artstyle. But all in all, I still have to go with Navi, who have the most experience and just seem to outplay people on LAN pretty consistently. They've been taking it easy lately, but I suspect its all part of some genius strategy. Oh, I almost forgot mTw! You can't help but root for a team led by Synderen. I have a ton of respect for him and I'm sure they will have a good showing.
Ok that's about all the questions I have for you SUNSfan, thanks for joining us.
SUNSfan: Thanks for having me!
If you'd like to follow SUNSfan or Dota Cinema here are a few sites: