Doa (commentator)

Last updated
DoA
DoA casting 2018 OWWC.jpg
Lonnquist in 2018
Personal information
NameErik Lonnquist
Born1982or1983(age 40–41) [1]
Wisconsin, United States
NationalityAmerican
Career information
Games
Casting career2011–present

Erik Lonnquist, better known by DoA, is an American esports commentator. He began his career casting StarCraft II for companies such as GomTV in South Korea and IGN in California. He worked for OnGameNet from 2013 to 2017, casting League of Legends Champions in South Korea, where he worked with his casting partner Christopher "MonteCristo" Mykles. He was signed by Blizzard Entertainment to cast the Overwatch League from 2018 to 2019 and again in 2021. In 2022, he began hosting the Rainbow Six: Siege North American League.

Contents

Early life and education

Lonnquist was born in Wisconsin and grew up as the eldest of eight siblings. [1] [2] [3] His parents fostered his affinity for video games that came at an early age; his father taught him basic video game programming while he was in kindergarten, while his mother often played video games with him, such as Tetris . Lonnquist's family moved to Mankato, Minnesota in 2001, [1] and he attended Bethany Lutheran College, where he graduated from in 2006. [4] After college, Lonnquist worked several jobs, including working as an insurance door-to-door salesman, at a pawn shop, and as a tech support at Verizon. [1]

Casting career

Early career

Lonnquist worked for ESPNU and Fox Sports North for several years after college. [5] [6] Looking to get into the esports scene, he began casting replays of StarCraft matches on his personal YouTube channel. After seeing an advertisement for a position as an English-language caster in Korea, he submitted a demo of his work to the company, [1] and in March 2011, he signed with GomTV as a caster in Seoul for the English broadcast of Global StarCraft II League 's Code A matches. [7] [8]

In November 2011, IGN announced that they had brought on Lonnquist as a caster for the IGN Pro League (IPL), where he would be working alongside Kevin "CatsPajamas" Knocke, Alexander "HDStarCraft" Do, and Taylor "PainUser" Parsons at the IGN Headquarters in San Francisco California in early 2012. [9] Citing that he wanted to move back to South Korea, Lonnquist left IGN in August 2012 to pursue a career with South Korean company OnGameNet (OGN) as a StarCraft II caster. [10]

OnGameNet

Lonnquist (left) at IEM San Jose 2015 IEM 2015 San Jose Day 2 - 70.jpg
Lonnquist (left) at IEM San Jose 2015

Lonnquist returned to Korea in 2012, but he did not return to casting StarCraft II. [3] In early 2013, OGN hired him as a play-by-play commentator for the English broadcast of League of Legends Champions, a League of Legends esports competition in South Korea, where he paired with his casting duo Christopher "MonteCristo" Mykles. [11] The duo cast League of Legends Champions, which rebranded to League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) in 2015, for several years, as well as other League of Legends events, including the 2015 League of Legends World Championship. [12] In March 2016, Lonnquist, along with Mykles and Christopher "PapaSmithy" Smith, refused to cast the 2016 Mid-Season Invitational. The three were freelancers for the LCK and released a joint statement stating that the initial rate that Riot Games, the owner of League of Legends, offered was "40% to 70% of the rate received by talent for major events," and while Riot made a second offer, it was still "far below industry standard for 2016." [13] Lonnquist also declined Riot's offer to cast the 2016 League of Legends World Championship, stating that he had other esports-related obligations in Korea, along with personal projects. [14]

In September 2016, Lonnquist and Mykles were brought on by OGN to cast Overwatch APEX, an upcoming tournament series in South Korea for Blizzard Entertainment 's Overwatch . [15] Shortly after, the duo announced that they would not be casting the 2017 season of LCK onward. [16] They cast Apex for two seasons, with their final broadcast being the Apex Season 2 Grand Finals. [17]

Blizzard Entertainment

In April 2017, Lonnquist and Mykles were picked by Blizzard as both freelance casters and consultants for its upcoming Overwatch League. [18] [19] On January 6, 2020, Lonnquist announced that he was parting ways with the Overwatch League after two seasons; [20] the departure effectively ended his seven-year casting partnership with Mykles. [21] In an interview with ESPN , Lonnquist stated, "The way they're going about doing things just, unfortunately, didn't jive with me and the direction I saw for myself within the league, so it was time to go." [22] Lonnquist continued working with Blizzard in 2020, returning to casting Hearthstone , a game that he had cast while with OGN more than four years prior, beginning with Hearthstone Masters Arlington. [23] [24] He returned to the Overwatch League for the 2021 season to cast late-night Eastern games alongside Andrew "ZP" Rush. [25]

Ubisoft

In March 2022, Ubisoft announced that Lonnquist would be the desk host for the 2022 North American League season, a Rainbow Six: Siege league. [26]

College esports

In late 2020, Lonnquist became the director of esports broadcasting at his alma mater, Bethany Lutheran College. [27]

Awards and nominations

YearCeremonyCategoryResultRef.
2018 Gamers' Choice Awards Fan Favorite Esports Caster DuoWon [28]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OGN (TV channel)</span> Television channel

OGN is a South Korean pay television channel that specialized in broadcasting video game-related content and esports matches, particularly StarCraft, Starcraft II, League of Legends, and Overwatch. OGN ran high level professional tournaments for 20 years; its premier competition included the Ongamenet Starleague (OSL), Proleague, League of Legends Champions Korea, and Overwatch APEX. It was previously a subsidiary of On-Media, the parent company of several other cable channels. After a corporate merger in 2010, it became a part of CJ ENM E&M Division. Most recently, League of Legends statistics website, OP.GG, which also sponsored LCK since 2022, has acquired OGN from CJ ENM following the shutdown of the linear TV network during the COVID-19 pandemic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BlizzCon</span> Annual gaming convention by Blizzard Entertainment

BlizzCon is an annual gaming convention held by Blizzard Entertainment to promote its major franchises including Warcraft, StarCraft, Diablo, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, and Overwatch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T1 (esports)</span> South Korean esports team

T1 is a South Korean esports organization operated by T1 Entertainment & Sports, a joint venture between SK Telecom and Comcast Spectacor. The team that would become SKT T1 was originally founded in 2002 by StarCraft player Lim "BoxeR" Yo-hwan under the name Team Orion, which was later renamed to 4 Union in December 2003. In April 2004, South Korean wireless carrier SK Telecom began sponsoring the team, officially creating the team SK Telecom T1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artosis</span> American esports commentator

Daniel Ray Stemkoski, better known by his nickname Artosis, is an American professional esports commentator and Twitch streamer. Stemkoski moved to Seoul, South Korea to commentate competitive Starcraft games in English. Together with Nick "Tasteless" Plott, he provides commentary for AfreecaTV Global StarCraft II League and AfreecaTV StarCraft League games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Plott</span> American esports commentator

Nicolas Plott, known by his alias Tasteless, is an American esports commentator. He moved to Seoul, Korea in 2007 to give commentary to e-sports competitions. He has provided commentary for multiple Starcraft and Starcraft 2 tournaments. Together with Dan "Artosis" Stemkoski, he currently provides commentary for Global StarCraft II League and AfreecaTV StarLeague games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Faker (gamer)</span> South Korean professional gamer (born 1996)

Lee Sang-hyeok, better known as Faker, is a South Korean professional League of Legends player for T1. He gained prominence after joining SK Telecom T1 in 2013, where he has since played as the team's mid laner. Often hailed as the "Michael Jordan of esports", Faker is widely regarded as the greatest League of Legends player in history. Throughout his career, he has secured a record of 10 League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) titles, two Mid-Season Invitational (MSI) titles, and a record four World Championship titles.

<i>League of Legends</i> Champions Korea Professional video game competition

League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK) is the primary competition for League of Legends esports in South Korea. Contested by ten teams, the league runs two seasons per year and serves as a direct route to qualification for the annual League of Legends World Championship. The LCK is administered in cooperation between Riot Games and KeSPA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jake (gamer)</span> American professional esports player

Jacob Lyon, better known by his online alias Jake, is an American professional Overwatch player and coach for the Houston Outlaws of the Overwatch League. Prior to joining the Outlaws, he played for the teams Bird Noises, Hammers Esports, and Luminosity Gaming Evil, and was the captain of the 2017 United States Overwatch World Cup team. After retiring as a player, Lyon joined the Overwatch League broadcast team as an analysis caster. In 2021, Lyon came out of retirement and signed with the Houston Outlaws as a player and coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MonteCristo</span> American esports personality

Christopher Kjell Mykles, better known by his nickname MonteCristo, is an American esports executive and former color commentator, analyst, and organization owner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lustboy</span> South Korean retired professional player

Ham Jang-sik, better known as Lustboy, is a South Korean League of Legends coach and retired professional player. After retiring from professional competition, Lustboy became a coach for Longzhu Gaming of the League of Legends Champions Korea (LCK), before leaving to coach for LCS team Team SoloMid. He is currently a coach for 100 Thieves of the LCS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gamsu</span> South Korean professional esports player

Noh Yeong-Jin, better known as Gamsu, is a South Korean professional League of Legends player. He began his professional esports career with League of Legends, playing as a top laner for several teams, such as Fnatic, Team Dignitas, and Samsung Galaxy Blue. Noh transitioned to professional Overwatch in 2016, competing for CONBOX in the OGN APEX Series. With the inception of the Overwatch League in 2017, Noh signed with the Boston Uprising before being traded to the Shanghai Dragons a season later. After one season with the Dragons, Noh signed with the Dallas Fuel. In late 2020, Noh retired from competitive Overwatch to pursue a career in League of Legends again. He played on 100 Thieves' academy teams until he was signed with Dignitas in mid-2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overwatch League</span> Esports league

The Overwatch League (OWL) was a professional esports league for the video game Overwatch, produced by its developer, Blizzard Entertainment. From 2018 to 2023, the Overwatch League followed the model of other traditional North American professional sporting leagues by using a set of permanent, city-based teams backed by separate ownership groups. The league used the regular season and playoffs format rather than promotion and relegation used commonly in other esports and non-North American leagues, with players on the roster being assured a minimum annual salary, benefits, and a portion of winnings and revenue-sharing based on team performance.

ryujehong South Korean professional esports player (born 1991)

Ryu Je-hong, better known mononymously as ryujehong, is a South Korean former professional esports player, best known for his career as an Overwatch player. During his Overwatch career, he played for the Seoul Dynasty and Vancouver Titans in the Overwatch League (OWL), and prior to the OWL's inception, he played for Lunatic-Hai in Overwatch Apex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gen.G</span> Esports club

Gen.G, previously known as KSV Esports, is a professional esports organization with headquarters in Santa Monica, Seoul, and Shanghai. According to Forbes, Gen.G is the eighth most valuable esports organization in the world as of May 2022, worth US$250 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RunAway</span> Former South Korean esports team

RunAway was a South Korean esports team, best known for their Overwatch division that competed in Overwatch Apex and Overwatch Contenders (OWC). The team was founded in 2016 by Yoon "Runner" Dae-hoon and is co-owned with his wife Lee "Flowervin" Hyun-ah. RunAway has competed in numerous major tournaments and fielded the team that would become the Vancouver Titans of the Overwatch League (OWL). The team's Overwatch division competed in the Korea region of OWC, and since inception, they won three OWC regional titles and four NetEase Esports X Tournament (NeXT) titles. They expanded into League of Legends in late 2019 before shutting down the division shortly afterwards. In June 2021, RunAway disbanded its Overwatch division.

The 2020 Overwatch League season is the third season of the Overwatch League (OWL), a professional esports league for the video game Overwatch. The regular season began on February 8, 2020, and concluded on August 23. It was the first season that the league implemented a city-based, home-and-away format, with teams traveling between the global home venues to play regular season matches, making the OWL the first major esports league to feature such a format. However, this format was abandoned on March 31 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and all matches were thereafter played online, with the league introducing three midseason tournaments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pine (gamer)</span> Gamer

Kim Do-hyeon, better known as his online alias Pine, is a South Korean professional Overwatch player of the Overwatch League (OWL). Kim began his professional career with LW Blue in the Overwatch APEX series. In 2018, Kim signed with the New York Excelsior for the Overwatch League inaugural season. After playing for two seasons with New York, he announced his decision to retire from professional Overwatch, becoming an active streamer affiliated with Andbox, NY Excelsior's parent company. He returned to active competition with the Dallas Fuel for the 2021 season. Kim is currently a free agent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fleta (gamer)</span> South Korean professional Overwatch player

Kim Byung-sun, better known by his online alias Fleta, is a South Korean former professional Overwatch player. He began his esports career with Flash Lux and had a brief stint playing for Lunatic-Hai. Kim signed with the Seoul Dynasty of the Overwatch League (OWL) in its inaugural season. After two years with the Dynasty, he signed with the Shanghai Dragons. In the middle of the 2023, Kim transitioned to a coaching role.

<i>Overwatch</i> Apex South Korean Overwatch tournament series

Overwatch Apex, or simply Apex, was a competitive esports tournament series in South Korea for the video game Overwatch run by South Korean cable television channel OnGameNet (OGN) from 2016 to 2017. The tournament was contested mostly by South Korean teams, although several Western teams were invited to compete throughout most of its seasons. After four seasons, Apex was expected to continue operations as Overwatch Contenders Korea, but after Blizzard Entertainment, the owners of the Contenders, opted to use a different broadcaster for the Korean Contenders league, OGN shut down the Apex series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">InternetHulk</span> German professional Overwatch player (1987–2017)

Dennis Hawelka, also known as InternetHulk, was a German professional esports player and coach. He rose to prominence in 2016, after establishing and playing for team IDDQD in the beta release of Overwatch. He went on to play for Team EnVyUs, winning several major tournaments, including season one of Overwatch Apex. In mid-2017, he transitioned to a coaching position for Team Liquid'sOverwatch team, and later for their League of Legends team.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Usher, Charles (October 23, 2015). "Game On". SEOUL Magazine. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  2. ↑ Lonnquist, Erik [@ggdoa] (October 3, 2014). "For clarity. I was born and lived in WI until I was 13 then moved to MN" (Tweet). Retrieved April 12, 2022– via Twitter.
  3. 1 2 Linehan, Dan (November 16, 2014). "Mankatoan finds success in gaming commentary". Mankato Free Press . Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  4. ↑ Schwartz, Lance (July 2019). "Vikings esports team set to compete in fall". Bethany Magazine. Mankato, MN: Bethany Lutheran College . Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Unikrn's Top Commentators: 4 Amazing Casters in eSports". Unikrn . September 29, 2015. Archived from the original on April 16, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  6. ↑ Hartinger, Dominik (February 23, 2018). "Nejukecanější tváře esportu. Kdo patří mezi komentátorskou špičku?" [The most talkative faces of esports. Who is among the top commentators?]. Red Bull (in Czech). Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  7. ↑ Miesner, Andrew (March 6, 2011). "GomTV with a new caster". Complexity. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  8. ↑ Plunkett, Luke (March 30, 2011). "An English Voice For Korea's StarCraft Madness". Kotaku Australia . Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  9. ↑ IGN Pro League (November 28, 2011). "IGN Pro League Welcomes Doa!". TLnet. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Erik 'Doa' Lonnquist to leave IPL". IGN . August 3, 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  11. ↑ Issakov, Emil (January 15, 2016). "OGN Controversy Breakdown". Dot Esports . Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  12. ↑ ESPN Esports staff (October 29, 2020). "My First Worlds -- stories from players, casters and more". ESPN . Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  13. ↑ Volk, Pete (March 23, 2016). "League of Legends casters boycotting Shanghai event over wage dispute with Riot". Polygon . Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  14. ↑ Wolf, Jacob (September 8, 2016). "Why MonteCristo and DoA won't cast at Worlds". ESPN . Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  15. ↑ Wolf, Jacob (September 15, 2016). "OGN to launch Overwatch league, DoA and MonteCristo to cast". ESPN . Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  16. ↑ Nordmark, Sam (January 10, 2017). "MonteCristo and DoA will no longer cast the LCK". Dot Esports . Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  17. ↑ Robichaud, Andrew (April 8, 2017). "MonteCristo, DoA to cast Overwatch League". TSN . Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  18. ↑ Erzberger, Tyler (April 7, 2017). "MonteCristo, DoA to depart South Korea to cast Blizzard's Overwatch League in U.S." ESPN . Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  19. ↑ Jae-jeon, Young (April 14, 2017). "Homeward bound - MonteCristo and DoA on South Korea, Overwatch and coming home". ESPN . Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  20. ↑ Wolf, Jacob (January 6, 2020). "Storied play-by-play caster DoA the latest to depart Overwatch League". ESPN . Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  21. ↑ Chen, Ethan (January 7, 2020). "DoA announces departure from Overwatch League casting". Upcomer . Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  22. ↑ DoA on leaving Overwatch League, future casting and MonteCristo. ESPN . January 9, 2020. Event occurs at 1:02. Retrieved April 13, 2022– via YouTube.
  23. ↑ Bischoff, Julian (February 8, 2016). "By the Hearth: DoA, the Voice of Korea". Red Bull . Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  24. ↑ Mejia, Ozzie (February 3, 2020). "DoA on returning to Hearthstone casting: 'I was in cram school'". Shack News. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  25. ↑ Richardson, Liz (April 6, 2021). "Doa returning to Overwatch League casting in 2021". Dot Esports . Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  26. ↑ "Your Guide to the North American League 2022". Ubisoft . March 24, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  27. ↑ Voss, Marissa (October 22, 2020). "Bethany Vikings esports team lands local celebrity on staff". KEYC-TV . Retrieved April 13, 2022.
  28. ↑ Carpenter, Nicole (December 10, 2018). "Overwatch takes home a few accolades at CBS' Gamers' Choice Awards". Dot Esports . Retrieved April 18, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.