Exclusive interview with Ryan ‘Realz’ Masterson from SK-Gaming

Posted by Alex on 11 June 2009 @ 12:32 AM

We’ve got a treat for you all today, an interview with one of the top World of Warcraft gamers, Ryan ‘Realz’ Masterson from SK-Gaming. We were privileged to talk exclusively with him soon after his team’s win over eMg in Columbus, and bring it straight to you guys; we hope you enjoy.

The Dalaran Inn (TDI.com): Firstly, thanks for taking the time to talk to us today, Ryan. My first question would have to be about your career as a professional gamer. When did you first start playing WoW competitively?

Ryan Masterson (RM): My first professional level appearance was at ESL Philadelphia back in November (2008), but I have been playing WoW pvp competitively since just before cross-server battlegrounds were introduced. I was associated with my server’s best horde-side Warsong and AB team, and playing games with them was a blast. Fast forward to the introduction of ladder play and the Arena, and I have been playing that aspect of the game competitively since day 1 of Season 1.

TDI.com: You were SK-Gaming’s Priest in the recent MLG tournament, what appeals to you most about playing a Priest, and is it your favourite class to play when not in competition?

RM: Historically, Shadow Priest has been my favorite class to play in any aspect of the game. Lately though, Shadow has not been as good, which makes Rogue probably my overall favorite class to play outside of competition for sheer enjoyment factor. That being said, Priest is still a very dynamic class and very fun to play, competitively or not. When I just need to release though, I hop on my Beast Mastery Hunter and just blow people up for a bit.

TDI.com: Describe the most intense arena match you’ve ever played.

RM: This is a tough one. If I had to boil it down to a specific game, there was a game back in Philadelphia that came down to a 1v1 (with me on Rogue) against Pandemic’s Mage, Malice. This was during patch 3.0 at level 70, just before the WotLK expansion, and the matchup heavily favored the Arcane Mage. A little planning, a little luck, and I came out on top. Another good one if looking at a whole match was the recent MLG match against Ensidia – we had a plan going into the match, we were all really into it and it was gratifying to see it pay off.

TDI.com: In your opinion, what does it take to be a professional gamer? Can anyone do it, or does it require an innate ability that you are born with?

RM: I’m not sure if I can speak to all professional gameplay, but for WoW specifically there are a few things that stand out. First, you need the ability to pay attention to more than one thing at once. Secondly, you need teammates who are on the same page as you in-game. Practicing to become comfortable with each other’s decision making is important. Also, WoW pvp often creates a flood of incoming information, and being familiar with the game’s mechanics and abilities as related to pvp will help your brain filter out what’s important and what’s not instead of being overwhelmed. Finally, practice makes perfect, and understanding and perfecting the generalities of Arena play takes experience.

TDI.com: How do you prepare yourself both mentally, and physically, for tournaments and intense competition?

RM: Mentally you prepare by practicing as much as possible without feeling burnt out on it. Physically, you need to keep yourself from making any poor decisions at the tournament itself that would hinder you from playing your best. By this I mean you need to make sure you get enough sleep, that you eat enough of the right foods (i.e. don’t overload on sugar and caffeine), and that you stay hydrated.

TDI.com: What has been your greatest accomplishment thus far in your professional gaming career?

RM: ESL and MLG Champion!

TDI.com: What is behind the nickname ‘Realz’?

RM: My first WoW character was my Priest, which I named ‘Real’. At the time I was just thinking about how my WoW character was very much not real and thought the name was somewhat ironic. At a certain point I transferred servers and my original name wasn’t available so I added a ‘z’ to the end of the name. People came to know me primarily as that and it sounded better anyways, so it stuck.

TDI.com: What do you do for fun when not in competition?

RM: I own a blue 2006 Yamaha R6 motorcycle (a sportbike), which is excessively faster than anything I should ever own but is an absolute blast to ride. I live in California so nearly 9mo out of the year are pretty comfortable for riding in terms of the weather. I also am a pretty big nerd, and I play Magic: The Gathering with some friends in addition to WoW. I used to play it somewhat competitively, and now I play more casually but the game is very mentally engaging which I enjoy. Outside of that, the usual ‘hang out with friends, watch movies, etc etc’ applies to me the same as most social people.

TDI.com: Where do you see WoW in five years?

RM: I have no idea… dead maybe? Perhaps not dead, but perhaps ‘the next big thing’ will be out by then, and it won’t be WoW. Blizzard’s next-gen MMO for example.

TDI.com: Lastly, who do you side with, Alliance or Horde?

RM: I’ve always gravitated towards Horde, but I don’t really have anything against Alliance.

TDI.com: Thanks again for taking the time to talk to us today, Ryan.