Taco on The Milk Cup’s impact: “What I think this is really going to do is instill a fire.”

The Milk Cup Finals showcased the top women competitors in North America and created an unforgettable experience for many players competing in a LAN for the first time ever. Adding to the experience was caster and analyst Taco. In an exclusive interview with esports.gg, she talked about her journey in the competitive scene, the impact of The Milk Cup, and more!

In her interview with esports.gg, Taco revealed that her esports journey began over 10 years ago as a professional player in SMITE. During a LAN event, she was invited to join the analyst desk for guest commentary. This experience made her realize that while she enjoyed competing, the volatility of professional play wasn’t her true calling. Instead, she felt more drawn to commentary and content creation. Eventually, her work with Hi-Rez on SMITE livestreams led her to Fortnite.

"For me, doing commentary for [SMITE] made me realize that I wanted to see if I could do that elsewhere," Taco said. "And what I mean by that is that it's one thing to do commentary for a game that you already play at the highest level because you understand it, [...] but I wanted to challenge myself and see if I could actually dive into other titles. And so I took a really big risk."

She continued, recalling that the risk was joining Bad Moon Talent. However, that move ultimately opened doors to new opportunities. One of her first major breaks happened when she got invited to cover the Fortnite Chapter 3 Season 3 Major. With just a couple of weeks to prepare for it, Taco did her best to learn Fortnite’s competitive history. It was a tough challenge, but it reignited her competitive spark.

"It was a little rough, but we made it through," she said. "I tried to do the best that I could with the time that I had. From that point forward, I found myself just really drawn to that competitive spark again. I made the right call when I chose to leave the SMITE scene as a whole because I realized that there's just something about wanting to understand when it comes to competitive gameplay and esports. I really just have to know. I have to be able to get it. I don't want to have to ask somebody else, 'Why is this happening?' I want to be able to tell people, 'This is what is happening.' That's always been really big for me."

Her dedication paid off as she continued on the Fortnite route. She spent a lot of time watching VODs and tournaments from as far back as Chapter 2 Season 5.

"It's been really, really sick watching that development and then kind of seeing how the official FNCS circuit has impacted everything else. I think for a lot of the women that are competing here at The Milk Cup — it's not even just about The Milk Cup for them. It's that they want to go towards that next level. They just want to be the best in general. And that just makes me want to do the best I can to emphasize on just how talented all of these women truly are."

Taco then shared that she often receives compliments from people who appreciate her work as a commentator. However, to her, the focus should always be on the players. Taco talked about her overall journey as well, recalling that she went for her passion without any specific game plan. Girls and women should chase their dreams since opportunities could be rare.

"I think for a lot of women, it can be very difficult to try and find your voice," she said. "And so I'm hoping that I can just continue to utilize mine to showcase that there's really no reason to be afraid of going for it. Because at the end of the day, you can't celebrate the wins without having experienced some of the losses and failures along the way.

"But that's what makes those moments all the more better still. And it's the same way for the women that are playing, right? Even if you don't win, even if you're not the team that takes first place here at The Milk Cup. What I think this is really going to do is instill a fire because it's different when you're playing a LAN versus when you're playing in the qualifiers at home. It's hard not to be inspired by that."

As for parting words, Taco told esports.gg that more events like The Milk Cup would further unite women in the competitive gaming community. She noted the importance of offering support within the community as well, encouraging viewers to show their love for their favorite players and casters whenever possible. To her, that love would always trump hate.

"Some people are just not gonna like you. Not everybody's gonna like you just because they don't want to like you. But I think it's fun when you can do something that so many other people do love. And that just overpowers any sort of little bit of hate.

"And for every negative comment, there's like 100 more loving ones. And so why bother focusing on the one person? I care more about what I'm doing for other people than how people might feel about me. And as long as I feel like I am getting my message across to emphasize how sick the players are, that's all that matters."

That's all for now. Stick around on esports.gg for more interviews, news, and updates!