Love him or hate him, there is no denying that Duncan “Thorin” Shields has had a global impact on esports both as a content creator and broadcast talent. He has amassed a following across multiple platforms and regularly makes Counter-Strike content that starts conversations (and debates). 

It seemed only fitting to end Season 3 with an icon of CSGO. Expect some bangers in this one, it is a plethora for soundbites.

You can find Thorin on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/thorin

You can watch him on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/@Thooorin

The Pro Player - Maikil "golden" Selim

Golden is an extremely talented Counter-Strike Global Offensive player who has played for Fnatic, Cloud9 and did a brief stint with Ninjas in Pajamas at a CS Major. He has a wealth of experience and knows what the pressure is like when being part of one of the best CS teams in the world. 

As an IGL he also has an interesting view on what it takes to lead a team. I wanted to pick his brain to really understand what it takes to be a professional Counter-Strike player and how young talent can be spotted.

You can find golden on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/goldenmajk

SapphiRe began as a competitive Counter-Strike player before moving into a host of different roles. The one I desperately wanted to chat to her about was that of Observer. I believe observers are the most important role in any esports broadcast. Without them, the magic of the game can easily be lost. Yet, they’re the unsung heroes of many CSGO events. 

I wanted to find out what led sapphiRe to carving out a space as an observer and what it takes to work on some of the biggest events in the world, including the 2022 Rio Major, which she is currently working on.

You can find sapphiRe on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/sapphiReGG

Matthew “Sadokist” Trivett is, in my opinion, one of the best Counter-Strike commentators in the world. His voice is linked to a host of legendary moments in CSGO history. His life has also become somewhat public fodder. I wanted to chat to him to find out what it is like to be at the top of your game - from constantly pushing yourself professionally to dealing with a social media world shrouded in “cancel culture”.

You can find Sadokist on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Sadokist

You can also find him on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/Sadokist

The conversation around female Counter-Strike has been a heated one for some time. I wanted to add to it and thought there was no one better to contribute than Hege “Hedje” Botnen. Hedje is a competitive Norwegian CSGO player who competed at a host of international events in an all women line up. She has since retired from competitive play and now works as an analyst on a host of esports broadcasts. 

She gave some insight into the women’s leagues currently being run and shared her own experiences as a woman in esports and Counter-Strike.

Follow Hedje on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hedjee

Follow Hedje on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hedjecsgo/

What does it take to become a shoutcaster in one of the most popular games in the world? In this episode of Tech Girl Talks, I chat to Adam “Dinko” Hawthorne, a Counter-Strike commentator who has casted a host of S-Tier events. 

Dinko’s story is an interesting one as he is one of the few shoutcasters on the scene working at high level events who does not have a dedicated casting partner. He explains how that works and how he navigates the CS:GO scene.

Follow Dinko on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dinkotv

Bleh has cemented himself as one of the leading analysts in the Counter-Strike broadcast space in recent years. An impressive feat on its own but even more so when you consider that he lives in India, one of the regions not as popular on the global CS map. 

For this episode of the Tech Girl Talks podcast I chatted to Bleh about how he was able to crack international competition and how he was able to grow in a career that is far tougher than it might look to the rest of the world.

Follow Bleh on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/officialBleh

Follow Bleh on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/officialbleh

In this episode of the Tech Girl Talks Podcast, we chat to Tiaan "Tc" Coertzen. Tc is the head coach of Complexity Gaming's Counter-Strike team. 

His story is an interesting one - from competing in CS: GO in South Africa, to making history with a South African lineup called Bravado Gaming that moved to America - he has great insight into competing at the top level but also happens to be a qualified medical doctor! He shares how he balanced studying medicine with competitive gaming and how his parents handled him giving that up to pursue esports.

Follow Tc on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DrTcCs

Find Tc on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tiaanc_za/

Tech Girl Talks, hosted by Sam Wright, was nominated for the Podcast of the Year in the 2022 DSTV content creator awards, and is back with a bang for Season 3. In this season, Sam chats to well known names in the industry to bring their stories to a new platform. Season 3 streaming soon.

In the Season finale of Tech Girl Talks, Narrative Writer for Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, Simon Ducharme, adds development team insight into the discussion around Representation in Video Games - with a focus on how character stories are scripted as well as the process around developing characters for your favourite video games.

Rainbow Six Siege is a popular First Person Tactical Shooter published by Ubisoft.

Focal points include:

Understanding the game development process

How character development takes place

Discussing the term "box ticking"

Ensuring accurate representation in video games