Online battles keep elderly ahead of the game

Silver-haired fans

According to a report released at the 2023 Global Esports Summit and the Tencent Esports Annual Conference, there were about 11 percent of gamers aged 45 and over in China last year, while the ratio was 9 percent in 2020.

Just like Xiyanghong, an increasing number of senior citizens are participating in video games with proven benefits that competitive gaming can offer.

A clinical research report published in the journal Behavioural Brain Research in 2020 found that video games showed potential in improving key aspects of memory in older adults. Researchers supported by the National Institute on Aging in the United States discovered that individuals aged between 60 and 80 who played 30 to 45 minutes video games per day for four weeks displayed improved recognition memory.

Although video games may not be an ideal substitute for real-world experience, they may serve as an additional and entertaining method to improve cognitive health, according to the research.

Qin from Xiyanghong says that the game keeps his mind active and helps exercise his hand-eye coordination. Ge, a nasopharyngeal cancer survivor, says that playing Honor of Kings has helped him get through the tough times during his fight with the disease.

Yang Binglin, affectionately known as "Gamer Grandpa" on short-video platform Bilibili, has achieved a Guinness World Record title at the age of 88 by becoming the oldest male gaming livestreamer early this year. His channel — "Hardcore gamer old man Yang" — has more than 303,000 subscribers.

It's not only happening in China. There's a growing global appetite for esports, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, as gaming offered an entertaining and safe alternative to socializing and recreation during the lockdown.

In September 2021, Matagi Snipers was established as Japan's first senior esports professional team with its members required to be above 65. Boasting an average member age of 67, it aims to become a team "respected by grandchildren", according to its official website.

Sponsored by tech giant Lenovo, Silver Snipers is a senior Counter Strike team from Sweden, which was assembled with the explicit goal of broadening the audience of esports to the generation with ample disposable income and leisure time.

For Yang, video games are just a new pastime to enrich her life and she hopes as more senior players like her participate in the gaming community, they can make the sector appealing to a broader demographic.