The world’s oldest video game streamer, Hamako Mori, has played titles like Call of Duty and Dauntless for decades — and shows no signs of stopping.
Video games are for everybody. Whether you’re short or tall, peppy or gloomy, love action or like to take it slow, there’s a video game out there for you… but there certainly is a stereotypical idea of who a gamer is.
The term “video game streamer” summons up Twitch emotes, first-person shooters, and neon-lit headsets, and while there are as many kinds of streamers in the world as there are people we’d bet your first mental image wasn’t of a small Japanese grandmother.
▼ Introducing Hamako Mori, 90 years old, the official oldest video game streamer as judged by the Guinness World Records.
Born February 18, 1930, Hamako Mori uploads videos regularly to her Gamer Grandma channel on YouTube. The majority show her enjoying all manner of video games, from Spec Ops to Dauntless to Call of Duty to NieR:Automata. The oldest video on her channel is from 2014 and shows her having a blast riding a dragon in Skyrim.
Though her posting was infrequent at first, in recent years Hamako has taken to uploading a video every month or so, with more frequent uploads occurring within the last year. Then, on May 13 of this year, she posted a special video titled “I have some big news!”
▼ In the video she thanks her viewers for helping her get recognized as the oldest video game YouTuber in the world. (English subtitles)
As she details in the video, the Guinness World Records establishment has stringent conditions that applicants must qualify for to be recognized as a record holder. Thanks to her army of passionate fans, no doubt accrued through her pleasant mild manner and the variety of games that she plays, Hamako has triumphed to hold the title as the world’s oldest video game YouTuber.
Her Guinness interview reveals she wishes more of her peers would get into gaming like she has.
▼ Hamako laments that more seniors, not only in Japan but around the world, don’t appreciate how fun video games are.
She’s been playing games since 1981, longer than many of the current gaming generation has been alive, but she still plays and enjoys modern titles, particularly Grand Theft Auto 5, which she praised by name in the video. Its graphics and cinematic atmosphere made a big impression on her, and she said she has so much fun playing it that it’s sometimes difficult to stop.
Her passion for games from all eras and countries has earned her a huge international following, though of course she’s deeply adored at home as well:
“She’s a treasure of Japan.”
“Please live a long, healthy life! I wanna be just like you when I’m old, Grandma!”
“Apply for another record when you hit 100!”
“When I see her, it fills me with motivation. I’m gonna work hard to pass my college exams now.”
Hamako is great proof that you’re never too old to have fun with a video game, so track down something fun and get playing!
And if you’re already a passionate gamer, make sure to grab some of Nintendo’s fun conference call backgrounds… maybe for your next call with your grandma?
Source: YouTube/Guinness World Records via My Game News Flash
Images: YouTube/Guinness World Records
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