The History Hit Open is a $5000 Age of Empires II tournament contested between 64 players, hosted and sponsored by History Hit. This exciting, fast-paced tournament concludes with the Grand Final on 17 October 2021.
Chiefly responsible for administering the tournament is professional Age of Empires player FlyLikeDjango. He explained to History Hit his background with Age of Empires and competitive gaming, his role on the History Hit Open, and what he enjoys about casting games to an audience.
Hey FlyLikeDjango, tell us about yourself!
Hey, I am Django or Joshua. I am 24 years old and have played video games my whole life. Previously I played League of Legends on a high level. In 2020, I discovered Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition and started playing a lot. Today I am a top 1% player in the game.
I started coaching other players and joined the esport organisation GamerLegion as coach in 2021. Since I started streaming, I have been casting all major events. I’ve also started organizing and administering events and tournaments as well.
I am studying sport management in the 3rd semester and like to spend my free time in the gym or with friends.
You’ve been important to organizing the History Hit Open. Can you explain a bit about what you do?
I am the main administrator and organizer of the tournament. My job has been to plan the whole tournament: timeframe, settings, maps, drafts of civilizations and maps, general rules and many more things that come into preparing a big tournament like this.
After that was done I made the announcement posts and controlled and checked registrations. Once sign ups were closed I had to seed players in the bracket corresponding to their Elo [a rating system originating in chess, named after Arpad Elo] and create text channels for players to communicate and schedule their games.
During the tournament, I have to make sure everyone schedules at the right time and drafts and maps are correct. I have to make sure people are on time and the rules of the tournament are being followed while games are going on. I’ve also been involved in selecting broadcasters for the tournament and have casted a lot of games as well.
What’s it about Age of Empires that resonates with you?
I played it as a little kid on a non-competitive level and loved it. Once I discovered that there was a competitive scene I immediately got hooked. I started playing a lot and fell in love with the game.
It’s such a complex game and so many skills are needed to perform on a high level. Also the Age community is pretty amazing and I have been enjoying my time.
What do you find appealing about broadcasting to an audience?
I love to mix analyzing the game and just talking about what is happening. I try to bring joy to the game. I try to explain to viewers what is happening and also why it’s happening. Casting is a really complex job.
My goal is always to get the viewer hooked and interested in the game so they want to stay and watch another series or maybe go and play the game themselves.
FlyLikeDjango shows his own gameplay in tournaments and practice on his Twitch channel. He also casts games and coaches in English and German.
