Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 has landed and if you were lucky enough to attend the swanky launch party you might have heard the excitable squeals of twenty-year-old Ben Bowe. No, he wasn't accidentally recording himself having some "me time", but expertly commentating the multiplayer battles with tons of celebrities.

Thanks to Black Ops 2's CODcasting features, you too could be the next top Call of Duty commentator. We asked Ben for his best advice at mastering the mic as an eSports commentator...



Step one: Start a YouTube channel and upload videos of you playing COD. Essentially talk over the game after it has been played. Talk about anything you want it really doesn’t matter, you just want to get used to talking fluidly into a microphone over gameplay.

Step two: Once you feel comfortable doing that, take it to the next level. Try playing and talking at the same time - it might sound easy, but try it out. It is one of the hardest things to do, yet so essentially as you need to learn to stay focused on the task at hand.

Step three: Ok, now we're getting closer to becoming a commentator! Next step is to watch your friends play and commentate over them. Explain to the camera, why they are doing the things they are doing. Analysis is one of the toughest parts of being a commentator. You need to get very good at this part, so spend as much time as possible doing this.

Step four: Now your almost there. You need to find a partner to do this with. It has to be someone you gel with, yet are not too similar. For example I am extremely excitable when I commentate, I can get crowds pumped up and excited about what they are watching, so for me, I need Bricey. He is a good friend of mine and we commentate regularly together. He is essentially my other half when it comes to commentating. He provides the analysis and I bring the excitement.

Step five: Once you and your partner are feeling confident, you need to actively look for small jobs. It’s the only way to start off. You have to start off small. Once you start getting noticed within the eSports community opportunities will present themselves to you. The most important thing to do is to stick at it and stay motivated. It might take a while to get there, but with the way the community is heading now, it would be well worth it.

For more commentating tips and advice follow Ben Bowe on Twitter: @TBC_Benson