Interview With Ryan "Gootecks" Gutierrez

1.How big of a fan are you to the fighting game genre?

To be honest, I really only like Street Fighter. :) I don't really have time for other games because I only care about being really good at SF.


2. What to you is higher level of play?

High level play is when two players are learning, adapting and predicting the opponents' moves. They aren't just throwing out random moves and hoping that they will hit, there is actual thought involved.


3. About how many hours do you spend practicing or better your abilities?

From about August-December 2008, I was playing 5-6 hours a night, 5-6 days a week. It was pretty much all I did. It took a lot of time, effort and money, but it's definitely paying off now and I'm glad I did it that way.

4. When I say something like “I play to win” what comes to your mind?

To me, that's the right attitude a player needs to have in order to be competitive. Of course it's okay to lose, you can't win every time, but taking the time to learn from your mistakes and adjust your gameplay will lead to more wins and that's what counts.


5. What would you consider higher level of play? What do you think it takes to get there?

You have to be willing to make sacrifices in order to play as much as possible. Those sacrifices might include time spent with friends, family and girlfriends, job opportunities, parties, birthday celebrations, holidays, etc. But it all depends how bad you want it. I went to Arcade Infinity this year on Christmas at night and I wasn't the only one there either!


6. Do you think you can get to higher level of play without dedication?

No, you need to be consistent. Even if you only play for 15 minutes every day and practice only execution, that is still more dedication than probably 95% of the SF4 community in terms of dedication and consistency.


7. Does your location affect the wellness of your playing ability?

Absolutely. If you're living in an area with a high concentration of good players, everyone is forced to either step up their game or get continuously beat down until they step it up or call it quits. If you don't live in an area like that, it's harder to level up. Everyone's game improves in an area with a lot of good competition. That's exactly the reason SoCal SF4 is really good. We have more SF4 cabinets and players than anywhere else in the country. We're so fortunate to live here, it's ridiculous!

8. How exactly do you better yourself?

You better yourself by making a conscious effort to improve. This involves practicing, staying consistent, learning from your mistakes and really striving to be as good as you can be.


9. How much knowledge do you need to become a higher level?

It really comes down to experience. The more experience you have, the better.


10. What are the steps to becoming a high level player?

1. Prepare to sacrifice some combination of time and money
2. Make a conscious effort to improve by tracking your progress, setting goals and learning from your mistakes.
3. Play as much as possible against the best competition you can find.


11. How important is execution skills?They are very important, but I think that experience

counts for more because it's still possible to win without being able to do big fancy combos.

12. How active in the actual community are you?

I think I'm pretty active. I do the podcast, videos, fly to out of state tournaments, put out a SF4 strategy guide and an educational product called Street Fighter 4 Secrets. I'm also putting together an exhibition match event called Street Fighter Bar Fights in Pasadena, CA. And I still go to Arcade Infinity a couple times a week.

13. Is it possible to better yourself without people to face or tournaments to go to?

Yes, but only your execution, you really need players that are better than you in order to take it to the next level.