Kevin (Nathan) “Strenx” Baeza is a 19 year old student from France and has made quite the name for himself over a short amount of time in the Quake Live European scene. Many Quake fans got their first impressions of Strenx in the now-infamous interview after his match with Russian Anton “Cooller” Singov.
Today he’ll be heading off to Germany to compete in the Intel Extreme Masters World finals at CeBit. But before leaving, he had a lot of things he wanted to get off his chest about Quake, the competition and excuses and certain players.
On professional gaming:
I’m laughing about the word “professional gaming”. How can you consider yourself a professional? A professional gamer is a man who lives with gaming. Only Warcraft and Starcraft players are professional gamers because they live for it. CS players: 60%. I just laugh when a player says “I’m a pro player”. I just wanna say “do you live only through Quake?” He will say “no”. Then you are not a professional gamer. I’m not a pro, I’m just a player who has fun with games. I have luck, I can travel. But I don’t consider myself as a professional.
About people taking gaming so seriously:
I will say ‘Why do you take the game so seriously? You want money? Get a job’. Really that’s what I think. I don’t really understand people like that. I am a student and I prefer to party. Just one day before [a tournament] I partied and drank so much. I was so hangover. That’s how players should react. They should just come for fun.
For example if I’m playing Zotac, it’s for €100 because on a Sunday there’s nothing to do. With that €100 I can buy alcohol for a party. I don’t take the game as seriously as some others do (like DaHanG…).
I’m not playing quake to make friends. Others only think about being “professional”. It’s just a game and you don’t make a living from it. They want to prove something; look I’ve the best brain, look I can be number 1. Every normal guy would say “what the fuck, I prefer to party than play Quake”. You can do both, but to reach the top u need to have no life and I prefer to party.
I have proven that it is possible to reach the top level without training (for example, IEM Europe).
On crying after losing DM6:
Ah, well… of course I don’t like to lose. Who likes to lose? But I forget about it the same day. I only care when I’m playing. If I do badly I don’t care – there is always a party afterwards.
DaHanG’s attitude:
DaHanG takes the game seriously. Quake Live is his life. I hate DaHanG since he said this to me; He watched my games vs Stermy all the time. I asked him the server password when he played cooller.
He said no.
I said why?
He replied: STFU, private server
He told me that 2 days ago. I really don’t like this attitude.
Do you know Buzz Lightyear? It’s DaHanG. He looks like him, exactly the same. DaHanG = Buzz Lightyear.
The Europe vs North America rivalry:
Americans are more no-life than Europeans. They are putting in more practice hours than the Europeans. OK, they win tournaments but let’s look statistics: if you train A LOT for a year you are not sure to win prize money. If you work hard for 1 year you can earn more than [the equivalent of] 50 1st places in a tournament.
So what’s the best? Play a geek game to win only $10000 in a tournament? Or work 1 year and earn a lot more WHILE playing at the same time. I just mean it’s stupid to train a lot all the time. I played IEM Europe without training.
If I evaluate the skill between chance and cypher, it’s a world of difference. Cypher plays less than Rapha. Av3k plays less too. Cooller I don’t know.
Europeans are more humble and more realistic than Americans, I guess. The mentality of Americans is strange. I don’t mean everybody, Rapha is a nice person – I have no problem with him. But they [the rest of them] are in their dream world. They all think they can reach the top; they should be a little more realistic. I’m realistic; I know I have a small chance to go through the group.
Dkt is also in his dream world. He thinks he can reach the top but he should be a more realistic about what he can reach or not. I mean he did top 7 during IEM in USA, so please 
Who he wants to beat at IEM:
I want to beat people who spend their lives playing, those who takes it seriously. Then if I do that, I will just prove that its bullshit to train a lot. I will just say “that’s bad, you wasted your time for nothing”. When you do perform badly and you know you trained 24h/24h for months, how do you feel?
About Cooller:
I think [on av3k’s recent interview] av3k is totally right about Cooller. I was so pissed about the 3rd place [IEM Europe] game. He had no respect for me. He only said, “I didn’t play my best because of my game against av3k”. He said I was lucky on dm6. 6:6, he does a kill at the last second and he is left on 6 hp. He should stop thinking that people are all lucky, because he is lucky as well.
For sure he isn’t the best at quake like he thinks he is.
I can’t accept it when Cooller said to me for 3rd place that I got lucky many times. It was him who was lucky… [As an afterthought] There isn’t any luck. I don’t know why I’m talking about luck. Luck is for losers.
On being arrogant:
The more you are honest, the more you think that person is arrogant. Look at Cypher for example. He can say what he thinks. He is very good. He can be honest saying, “this player is easy”. But he knows that if he says that, everybody will think he’s arrogant. But he’s right, he’s better than him. I really like this player [cypher], he just plays and that’s all.
If you ask me what I think about quake attitude: average players are nice (all nearly) but about the top players… it’s another world. There are a few guys who are very nice. The others are not. They only think about winning, winning and winning – being the best and having money. If they want to win money, enough money to live, stop playing. Just get a job.
But really I don’t mind, it’s their life, they do what they want. I enjoy my life, I play and I go to parties, I study etc. Some players hate me in Quake. I don’t care, they are not my friends. They can think what they want. I don’t mind at all.
Do people get the wrong impression from you because of the language barrier?
Well when DaHanG tells me “STFU” when I ask the password to the server, I don’t need a language barrier to understand this attitude.
The player he hates the most:
Winz. He’s arrogant, and a geek. I don’t like him at all. Even his face… really, he doesn’t look good. I think he’s the perfect representation of a geek. I’m sure all his friends are only players. Winz is a bitch. He sucks. He’s such a geek he will read this interview.
He said to me one time “If you do what I did [win 2 ESWCs in 2 different games] you can speak. But you never will. So now, STFU”.
I feel sorry for him though. I hope he at least finds some friends. But who would want to be his friend with the kind of attitude he has?
On being accused of cheating online:
I only did 2 good LAN tournaments: DreamHack and IEM. Online my results are OMG (laughs). It’s because I cheat of course. I am yuka. Of course I cheat, on each tournament online I use aimbot + autoshoot + wallhack. It’s very important.
Really, people think whatever they want. You will never meet a guy who leaves bad comments on ESReality at a LAN. That’s a fact.
No Excuses:
There is a thing I hate as well – excuses. I lost because; I slept in bad conditions, I didn’t play good… blah blah. No it’s not that you didn’t play good, it’s that he raped you, that’s all. Look at me against av3k at DreamHack, I found no excuse. I just said he raped me.
Image from ESL.eu
It’s ok to find excuses when there is a real reason. Against madix at Dubai I have an excuse. I was better than him for sure. My fucking headphones were fucked up. He dares to say that I was playing my best. That’s exactly the attitude I hate. He doesn’t even want to admit that I was better, that I improved. Come on. Madix is better than me? No way. It’s arrogant to say that, but generally honest guys are arrogant. Every player finds excuses all the time. They never say “He was better than me”. Never.
I don’t care about egos. If I see for example DaHanG raped by Cypher I will tell DaHanG, “Don’t find an excuse, he raped you, that’s all”. Of course if on t9 he lost because of 3 telefrags at 200-200 – ok its luck. But it happens rarely.
I just hate people who talk shit about luck luck luck. It’s the truth but nobody says it. In each interview after a game if you don’t see/hear the word luck, there is a problem. I can bet my balls, with my eyes closed, that I will find the word luck in each interview I watch.
It’s stupid. There is 10 minutes in a game. If you are better you can out-play him or out-aim him. For example if you play an average player, you can have the worst starting spawn but you will manage to win the game.
There is luck sometimes of course… if he survives 10 times at 1 hp. But players should stop thinking there is luck everywhere because if you want, you can always find an excuse for why you lost:
In 2 seconds I found 4 reasons already. You can be sure tomorrow during the tournament a player who didn’t go through the group will find an excuse.
For me it will be funny. I won’t go through and that’s all. If I go through group I will laugh. We will see, I will just try my best, but I won’t pretend that I will win.
Lost brothers: Nathan from "Misfits" and Strenx
**Please note that these quotes have been edited to make the English easier to read and understand.
Following this interview, strenx has issued a public apology. View it here.
Mar 3, 2010What I gathered about Strenx as a person based on this interview:
He talks a lot about excuses but this whole interview was about him building up one big excuse; he doesn’t train because he thinks this way he can prove something. However the whole thing says that Strenx is afraid of committing, afraid of competing because he’s scared of losing. So he makes this one big excuse because he doesn’t believe that he has what it takes to win. He probably doesn’t realize his own hypocricy either.
He also seems to be very insecure. If he wasn’t he wouldn’t spend so much time trying to convince us that he has this great “life” outside gaming. The insecurity is also reflected in the way he views the gamer stereotype, even though he clearly is as nerdy as anyone of us he tries to separate himself from the group. This is something you see very often among young insecure gamers.
In the end, Strenx lacks character. He has no manners, no maturity to himself. Time to realize that internet isn’t all about flaming and being out there. If you represent an organisation you need to act the part. Honesty doesn’t cover your ass when you’re being just that: an ass.
I wonder if fnatic are keen on keeping this sort of a player around. Clearly he’s unmotivated and he lacks the brains and manners to appear as a player of a high standard organisation. Even if he is being emo due to the pressure of the big event he shouldn’t act this childish.
Mar 3, 2010Northern, what an awesome post… You are right on so many levels, now we don’t know the kid in real life, but judging from the interview, I got the exact same perception of him
I just hope that even with all his whine about the serious “pro scene”, he still enjoys going to lan finals and do indeed have a good time, I mean, he would be an ass if he didn’t.
Mar 3, 2010Reading this interview, I actually now cheer more for DaHang than before. Strenx coming across as a wuss who’s scared of actually trying reaching his potential and is avoiding the agony of losing from actually trying. He is the real loser, not DaHang.
Mar 3, 2010I just hope he gets raped the first round.
Mar 3, 2010Wow really nice comments. I forgot what it’s like when people actually put thought into what they’re commenting rather than something like “tl; dr” 
Mar 3, 2010Most times during interviews when an interviewer asks about your competitors you are supposed to be a bit more gracious and say positive things about them. At 19 years old you pass judgement on people that live for their passion. I guess he never heard the saying, “if you have nothing nice today don’t say anything at all. Attend is the epitome of the French stereotype and it’s a
shame that he has this gift to win without training. With time he will hopefully grow up and stop being narcissistic. In my personal opinion, I think this interview shows him as a less than adequate person (and excuse my French) a douchebag. I hope I am wrong and it is only the brush of this interview that had painted him this way. Go back to watching Toy Story and huffing Brie cheese ass munch.
Mar 3, 2010Va te pendre, emo kid !
Mar 3, 2010A disgrace to the game. Seriously. “I hate excuses” but let me make 30 at the beginning of the interview. This kid needs some serious mental help.
Mar 3, 2010Wow… I hope he doesn’t talk like this in person, too. If so I’m sure he’s gonna get his ass beat by someone, gamer or not. There is a huge difference between being arrogant and being a complete dick.
Mar 3, 2010Good luck to all the participants in the upcoming world tournament.
Mar 3, 2010IM GAY
Mar 3, 2010what is it with all the interviews relating to feet today, av3k wants to steal your shoes, and strenx plays with his feet 8]
Mar 3, 2010All professional gamers are fags. It’s just a fact.
Mar 3, 2010Was it a face to face interview or some kind of on-net conversation ?
Mar 3, 2010what’s with this emphasis on partying among these young players? strenx really is a disgrace to the quake community
Mar 3, 2010@zet: it was made over msn.
@all: Many people today have messaged me and asked me the same question, then accused me of just making this up (since it’s not made face-to-face). So to set the record straight: I did not fabricate any of this.
If you read my other interviews (like the DJ wheat and Stermy features) it’s not like this at all because they didn’t give me answers like Strenx did. Maybe it’s normal in other communities to just make interviews out of thin air or to have people impersonate others online but are you aware that it is slander? I’m not going to respond to anybody anymore who is accusing me of making up this interview because this is my final word on this.
If you would prefer I make face-to-face interviews then please just send me to events 
Mar 4, 2010For a guy who hates excuses, he sure focuses a lot of energy on maintaining his social life excuse for never being able to win against the nerds.
If anything, when a gamer lashes out on others for having no friends and goes out of his way to mention how much he/she parties and gets drunk, it just means they are pretty insecure about their own lack of a social life.
I didn’t know anything about this guy prior to reading this interview, now I just think he’s a hypocritical nerd who probably has less of a life than most of his competitors — be it Americans or his fellow Europeans.
Mar 4, 2010haha he’s right though..
this kid probably doesn’t care enough.. but that’s better than caring way too much like some people do.
Out of the American players Rapha is the only guy who isn’t an absolute tool. It’s nice to see someone call out these guys for acting like “professional” is a word that means dick all when it’s put in front of a gamer.
Mar 4, 2010Liefje: I just wanted to know if he said or wrote it like this and whether live, on the fly or as a whole. To know the background and how to take it, not to dispute the authenticity.
Mar 4, 2010zet, I know, but I just wanted to take the opportunity to write that to those who have been messaging me about it too.
I would say; take it with a grain of salt.
Mar 4, 2010He’s right about the pro-gamer thing. Professional means just that – that it’s your profession.
Though I also agree with Northern, seems like strenx is a bit insecure. Which is strange, with his looks he can get anyone a bit horny. Just look at all the negative comments from slightly homophobic guys in this thread
Mar 4, 2010Livi… had to comment on this. Crack up interview had me in stitches.
James
Mar 4, 2010Strenx just lost the last bit of respect I had for him. Pathetic little whiner.
Mar 4, 2010touché
Mar 4, 2010IT’S A FUCKING DISGRACE !!!!
Mar 4, 2010“STFU, private server.”
ROFL!
Mar 4, 2010Miss Amusing: I prefer spices
Mar 4, 2010Lol at all you haters. Just because one dude is getting his thing on without practicing is just a delight to my eyes and ears.
You’re all just mad about people who actually have no intensions of being part of your “Quake Live community”. Who has to behave well and respect the noobs. Who cares, not everyone are playing Quake Live to be a part of the community. It’s not like you buy a game to meet friends. You buy it for your own entertainment.
Mar 4, 2010Honestly?
That’s what you think? Seems like you’re bored with losing and find excuses for this. Be great-full to the game, to the people you play with or against and the people sponsoring you to travel the world. Without them you’d just be a random baguette with a too big ego. I
I really hope that fnatic drops you as soon as they read this. You certainly don’t deserve to wear their flag in my eyes.
Mar 4, 2010The term professional is usually referring to someone who is financially compensated for a service. As a top level gamer the service being provided is entertainment. It doesn’t have to mean you make your living off of it.
His attempts to slander Americans are actually compliments.
No-life Americans – In other words, Americans try to become the best they can be at something they enjoy doing? Ouch!
Living in a dream world – In other words, Americans don’t go into a tournament assuming they will lose? Again, ouch!
Mar 4, 2010what a douchebag..
Mar 4, 2010Buzz Lightyear 2, Strenx 0. ’nuff said.
Mar 7, 2010Lol, that’s a funny interview. Strenx is cool, good read.
Mar 11, 2010Kind attention strenx aka ( nathan ) , i hate to break this for you i wish i could meet you to clarify your fuzzybrain , firstly having parties isnt life, lets comment on the STFU private server , did u try STFU as the pass? you judge quickly , i dont like to indicate french as sensitive people , your overreacting , u have alot of lacks in your mental health , not only you but as well as others and me but when a gap have been concluded other gaps appear , i believe i can help you with some things if u like , im a traveler i can make it to france later this summer it depends , but if i couldnt il cut u a ticket because im more a fan to you then to others , ur a good man , dont become bad.
Mar 11, 2010Strenx only proved that there is a poor frustrated. He says he does not care about quakelive championships but cries like a baby when he loses a match. It contradicts itself in many other places, as to say that he is not a geek, who does not train and do not want to make friends.
But we all know that he is precisely the opposite of what he says. If no one respects and does not want his friendship, we just discovered with this interview him. Who wants to be friends with an asshole like him? Of course, nobody respects Strenx.
It is the biggest coward I know. He says he does not train because he knows that no matter how hard he tries, he will never be one of the best. If he is afraid of losing, never to appear in quakelive championships.
A disgusting wimp as he would never be lacking in anything. I mean, if only to smile at the silly face him.
Mar 11, 2010lol!!! enraged
May 9, 2010I find it ironic that he’ll publicly state, in an interview, that he doesn’t train much and just plays to have fun. But if you look back at the interview between him and Cooller, he very clearly says that he hates losing on dm6 specifically because of the amount of time he spends training on that map.
Looking at his match history in QL (along with all of his aliases) is enough proof that he’s quite a dedicated player.
And my favorite, too. He’s amazing. Faults and all.
May 13, 2010lol @ you guys even caring, this is why he calls you guys nerds. you’ll never even meet this guy.
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9:07 am
Knowing something and saying something are different things, arrogance is saying things that can offend and justifying it by saying “but its true”. Your arrogance is at an astounding level.
Parties are not important to most. They are obviously the biggest thing in your life. This does not mean that you are any better because your priorities are for getting smashed. Your priorities are just that “yours”. To say “i party, you like to game more than me this makes you lower than me” is just plain stupid.
If people have the means to follow a dream, in this case be a hero in a 1v1 fps, then why not follow that dream? You want to party, wow you are awesome.
You are very young at mind and have allot to learn, i understand that my words will be lost to your mind as your arrogance will over-ride all.
Hope you have a nice party as this is the most important thing to you.