Chinese mother who once opposed son's gaming now builds career as streamer

A 60-year-old woman in southern China has turned an unlikely hobby into a new career, becoming a popular gaming streamer after she first took up computer games to understand her son's long-standing interest in them.

Zhong Juanjuan, widely known online as Auntie Juan, now has around 527,000 followers and conducts two live-streaming sessions every day. Each session draws about 10,000 viewers, reports Beijing News.

Zhong lives in a suburban area of Meizhou in Guangdong province. She only started playing computer games in 2020, after retiring from a series of part-time jobs in sales and childcare.

Her relationship with gaming was once very different. About two decades ago, she frequently clashed with her younger son after he became absorbed in video games while studying in secondary school. His grades suffered, and Zhong often went to local internet cafes to find him and take him home.

The two later found themselves on opposite sides of the same hobby.

After her son, known online as Suode, left his job and began spending long hours gaming at home in 2020, Zhong became curious about what kept him so interested. She decided to try gaming herself, with her son teaching her the basics.

Learning was difficult at first. Her eyesight was already weakening, and her reactions were slower than those of younger players. Suode recalled that she initially struggled even to walk in a straight line in the virtual world, often running into walls and having trouble climbing stairs.

Zhong, however, continued practising and gradually became a skilled player. She now has more than 8,000 hours of gaming experience, mainly playing shooting games.

She began live-streaming her gameplay in 2022. Her unusual profile quickly attracted viewers, who were surprised to see a 60-year-old woman playing competitively while using the gaming language commonly associated with younger players.

Her popularity grew further in December 2024, when she took part in an online exhibition match of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO). One of her opponents was 17-year-old Russian player Danil "donk" Kryshkovets, who had recently been crowned a world champion. Zhong surprised viewers by eliminating him during the match.

Her performances also led some viewers to question whether someone else was controlling her character. To answer those doubts, her son installed several cameras around her and recorded her playing from different angles.

Zhong has also faced criticism over spending so much time gaming at her age. She rejects the idea that older women should limit themselves to traditional family roles.

"As a mother, should I only be relegated to household chores?" she said.

Her son is now her full-time agent, while their relationship with gaming has almost completely reversed. He once had to be dragged away from internet cafes by his mother. Now, he makes sure the internet is switched off at midnight so that she does not stay up playing.

Zhong said she was particularly pleased when a middle-aged man recognised her at a wet market and told her he had seen her gaming videos online.

She also rejects the expectation that women her age should simply look after grandchildren or take part in traditional activities such as square dancing.

"Gaming sharpens the brain and improves hand-eye coordination. Isn't that better than doing nothing?" she said.

For Zhong, taking up gaming later in life has become a reminder that learning does not have an age limit.

"It is never too late to start learning something new," she said.