Meet 'Gamer Grandma,' Japan's 89-Year-Old Video Game Streamer

Whether they like it or not, gamers will eventually see themselves getting old. Their skins will wrinkle, their accuracy will lower and their steel-like grip on the controller will fade. But this doesn't mean that they can let go of the one thing that they love.

Japan's Mori Hamako is a prime example of the popular adage, “gamers don't die, they respawn.” We're not taking the phrase literally, but even at the age of 89, Hamako, who also goes by the name “Gamer Grandma” on YouTube, can still duke it out on the virtual world.

Over at Gamespark, Hamako recalled that her first console was a Casette Vision and later shifted to the ever-popular Family Computer, which was released in 1983. During this time, her constant titles ranged from Legend of Zelda and Dragon Quest. This was also the first time that she played F1 Race.

By the time that 80's moved to a close, Hamako concentrated to PC games. Some of her “memorable” games included Evil Sword Necromancer and Kato-chan Ken-chan. And like most avid gamers, Gamer Grandma played Super Nintendo and of course, the first PlayStation.

“I still remember that I was very surprised by the story and graphics as well as the fear,” said Hamako as she described the first time she played Resident Evil.

Hamako also touched on Final Fantasy and on the Nintendo 64, played Ocarina of the Legend of Zelda. She too was surprised at how The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim transformed gaming graphics throughout the years.

First-Person Shooters (FPS) were also a favorite of Hamako and cited Battlefield as one of her novel introduction. She now plays with her PlayStation 4 and uploads it on her YouTube page.

When asked why she decided to upload live videos of her playing, Hamako humbly said that she would be sharing the fun of the game with more people.

“Thanks to you, I'm a little surprised that many viewers enjoy it. It's like a dream.”

“The graphics of recent games are really amazing. I fell like I entered the world and I am really glad that I lived this year,” opined Hamako when the zombie-infested open world game, Days Gone was brought to her attention.

For now, Hamako looks forward to play the next Grand Theft Auto and Elder Scrolls VI as her “new favorite action game and a full-fledged RPG.”

as for those who wanted to be like her, Hamako recommended playing Grand Theft Auto and single-play games as opposed to choosing a title that would have them play alongside the younger generation.

“Inevitably, if you're on the battlefield with younger players, you'll slow them down,” she said, through Kotaku.

Hamako also believes that servers what caters to elderly players will soon be upon them considering that their numbers are increasing and at the same time, for them not to be a concern in the battlefield.

In closing, Hamako suggested to play the games that you love when one is still young. If a player starts at an early age, there won't be a problem playing even if they're older.

“Keep playing games from a young age. If fashion and sports are your hobbies, the time will come when you can't continue. But the game is easy.”