Surviving Esports: The Zyori Story

By: Andrew M. Campbell

Narrated by: Andrew M. Campbell

Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Andrew "Zyori" Campbell's journey from college student to successful Dota 2 caster was not an easy path. It took determination, perseverance, and repeatedly recommitting to his dream for him to navigate his way through the esports industry.

In Surviving Esports, Zyori reveals both the personal and professional development required to hack it in a highly competitive landscape. Zyori's story criss-crosses the globe, taking us around the world, through cyber-bullying, a life-changing haircut, and possibly the most poorly planned Dota 2 tournament in history.

At times charming and at others painful, Zyori never holds back in his reflections on becoming a successful commentator for multiple games. If you've ever wondered what it takes to make it in esports, this audiobook provides unparalleled insights.

©2019 Andrew Campbell (P)2019 Andrew Campbell

If you’re into the (dota) esports scene this is a great read/listen

I’m not great at gathering my thoughts so I’ll do my best here.

The story kept me interested from beginning to end. For a story you can basically boil down to explaining someone’s work life, it was exceptionally engaging and entertaining. It also added details to several important dramas and happenings in the dota esports scene and beyond. I kept coming back for more and I used every opportunity I had to listen.

The only criticism I really have is the quality of the reading. The reader tripped over some words every now and then. It also sounded like although the overall quality of the audio was good, it was not done in a sound booth and there was some background white noise. While these were definitely real problems, I found they did not get in the way of the reading and the reader was very enjoyable to listen to.

Surviving is the best word here

It was fascinating to hear about the growing pains of the esport industry from someone right in the thick of it. Definitely ups and downs and mad scrambles on a weekly basis.

I thought Andrew disclosed a lot of learning lessons that, in hindsight, definitely show that there was a good outcome and a poor one. Sometimes, he took the poor one. A lot of the time, it was a poor outcome. But that happens when you need to make snap judgments on hazy situations.

He reflected on his early career in a way that shows how he has grown from it. You can tell he has learned from his past.

Was fun listening to the author read. Sure, a couple of words here and there that he got tripped up on but hey - we're all human here.

Recommended!