February 21, 2026
The world of esports is comprised of many different roles that help keep the cogs of the gaming machine turning. One of those roles is casting. A caster is a live commentator for competitive video games that provides play-by-play narration and analysis to enhance the viewers’ experience. They explain actions, analyze strategies, and generate excitement to keep audiences engaged. They are essential to the broadcast. Ahri “AhriCasts” Riso is an esports caster, host, and analyst. Let’s take a look at her journey so far.
The Road to Casting
Before becoming a caster, Ahri was a competitive gamer. Their introduction into competitive gaming began with the Nintendo Switch. She was ranked 1 (pre-cross-platform) on Overwatch, and she placed high enough in Fortnite tournaments to even take some winnings home.
Ahri is no stranger to the competitive Raidiant scene either, having participated in both the Milk Cup and the Valorant Raidiant Academy.
My favorite Raidiant tournaments to play in definitely were the Milk Cup and Raidiant Academy for Valorant. The Milk Cup gave me the thrill of competing without having to jump through 400 millions qualification hoops to get there (even if I got completely dumpstered on). With Raidiant Academy, I loved how I could get together with a few friends and just play our hearts out trying to make the deepest run possible while battling constantly against friends of ours the whole way.”
The winnings did not last forever, however, so she decided to pivot her attention. With some nudging from friends and colleagues, Ahri decided to take a chance at casting.
Eventually with schooling (and maybe a skill issue), I started to fall behind the competition. They were just better. My friends and even streamers loved my voice and personality and said I should pursue some form of content creation. I didn’t really have the capabilities to stream so I went for the alternate choice, casting.”
A Day in the Life
Casting opened up a brand new world, but she was happy to take on the challenge. A lot of work goes into casting behind the scenes. The day-to-day can vary depending on the job’s needs. Some days she will cast from home, while others require traveling.
A day as a caster can vary wildly. Some days you can be relaxing with your family and the dog. Others you are taking a bus to the middle of nowhere Pennsylvania.”
To prepare for a cast, she sometimes watches YouTube to stay up to date on current patch notes, player drama, and community jokes. The more knowledge she has going into a cast, the better prepared she is to make interesting analysis, and she can more easily keep communication flowing.
Pre show can be quite stressful as there can be a lot of information you have to retain in a short period of time. However, the more and more familiar you are with a producer or organization, the better this process goes as you are already expecting what the rundown is. The casting itself is like a blur. Time flies and you only really remember big moments or things like that. Towards the ending, the debrief is always fun as people are usually celebrating or just being grateful and thankful.”
While casting, Ahri has to be astute so she can accurately deliver the play-by-play and colorful commentary to viewers. Being a caster means she gets to catch some of the wilder moments live.
…one of the craziest moments I was lucky to watch was when, in the summer season of Calling All Heroes, team Faeble would go down in numbers in a fight so often just to clutch it out over and over. It happened so much in crazy fashion that we started saying that they were “Faebl-ing it.” Another crazy experience was getting to cast over two star studded Rocket League teams that I looked up to in an OPEN QUALIFIER. It was a bloodbath in a round that they should never have met in.”
She spends a lot of time going back over the previous cast as well. This helps her to create highlights that include funny moments or short-form content for personal reels.
I will also do this to see chat reactions and even random comments to see what they have to say. Sometimes it’s great compliments and sometimes they can be… interesting.”
After the cast is done, Ahri makes sure to log it in her experience sheet as well. This helps her keep up with the work she’s done and build her portfolio.
Seeing Things Differently
Casting has changed Ahri’s world in unexpected ways. Deep diving into games consistently helps improve her game when she’s not behind the caster desk.
Before I was heavily into casting, I was only ranked gold in Valorant. However, when I started casting the game more and more, my rank shot all the way up to ascendant. I’m now just generally better because I know what to look for and how to think in high level intense situations.”
She says she gets a higher level thrill from outplays than she does a display of good mechanics, as a viewer. This deeper understanding of how games can be played will help her as she continues her casting journey.
What’s Next
The next chapter for AhriCasts is not written in stone yet. A general life milestone for her is to finish college, so she can dedicate more time to diving into the broadcasting industry. She also plans to get to as many LANs as possible to meet players and get to know them better to enhance her casting experience. In tandem with her casting career, she also plans to grow her content.
Esports is always changing. Tournaments and organizers come and go, but Ahri is determined to make as much happen as possible. She will continue to grow and expand her horizons. She will continue casting and continue gaming as well – may even hit Immortal in Valorant.
We can’t wait to see what is next for Ahri, and we know she’ll bring the hype, excitement, and in-depth analysis to the next event she casts for!