60-year-old Chinese woman turns gamer to understand her son, builds online following
A 60-year-old woman in China has gone from pulling her son out of internet cafes to becoming a gaming streamer herself, attracting more than five lakh followers online.
Zhong Juanjuan, popularly known as Auntie Juan, began playing computer games in 2020 after watching her younger son, Suode, spend hours gaming at home. Six years later, she has turned the hobby into a successful online career, with around 5.27 lakh followers and thousands of viewers tuning into her livestreams.
Zhong lives in a suburban area of Meizhou in Guangdong province. She completed only primary school and spent much of her working life taking up jobs such as sales and childcare. She retired about a decade ago.
Her relationship with gaming was very different when her son was younger. Around 20 years ago, Suode’s gaming habit became so intense that his school performance suffered. Zhong would visit internet cafes looking for him and sometimes drag him home, leading to frequent arguments over the amount of time he spent playing.
When Suode returned to gaming years later, however, Zhong became curious rather than angry. She wanted to understand what made games so engaging and decided to learn how to play herself. Suode, initially surprised by the decision, became her teacher.
Learning was anything but easy. Zhong struggled with basic movements and would often walk into walls, turn in the wrong direction or have trouble climbing virtual stairs. Her eyesight and slower reactions made the process more challenging, but she continued practising.
By 2022, she had gained enough confidence to begin livestreaming. Her unconventional journey quickly caught the attention of viewers. Sitting at a computer with simple streaming equipment, Zhong began playing shooting games while comfortably using gaming terminology usually associated with much younger players.
She has since accumulated more than 8,000 hours of gameplay. One of her most memorable moments came in December 2024, when she participated in an online exhibition match of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Among her opponents was 17-year-old Russian esports star donk, who had recently become a world champion. Zhong managed to eliminate him during the match, surprising viewers.
Her popularity also attracted accusations that someone else was playing on her behalf. To prove otherwise, Suode installed several cameras around her gaming setup, allowing viewers to watch her movements from different angles.
Zhong has also faced criticism from those who believe women her age should focus on more traditional roles. She has rejected that idea, arguing that gaming keeps her mentally active and helps with hand-eye coordination.
“It is never too late to start learning something new,” she said.
The son who once had his gaming interrupted by his mother is now her full-time agent. Suode even switches off the internet at midnight to stop her from playing too late.