A 60-year-old woman from China has turned an activity she once strongly opposed into an unexpected second career. Zhong Juanjuan, popularly known online as “Auntie Juan”, is now a gaming livestreamer with around 5.27 lakh followers.
Based in Meizhou, Guangdong province, Zhong spends hours playing computer games and interacting with thousands of viewers online. According to the South China Morning Post, she conducts two livestreams every day, with each session drawing roughly 10,000 viewers.
From pulling her son out of internet cafes to becoming a gamer
Zhong's journey into gaming began only six years ago. Before that, she had worked a variety of part-time jobs, including sales and childcare, after studying only until primary school. She retired around 10 years ago.
Her introduction to gaming came through her younger son, known online as Suode. After leaving his job in 2020, Suode began spending considerable time playing games at home.
The situation reminded Zhong of an incident from roughly two decades earlier. When Suode was a secondary school student, his gaming habit had affected his studies. Concerned about his declining grades, Zhong would search for him at internet cafes and sometimes drag him back home.
Years later, however, seeing her son play again made Zhong curious rather than angry. She wanted to understand what made gaming so engaging and eventually asked Suode to teach her.
She struggled at first but refused to quit
Learning to play was far from easy for Zhong. She initially struggled with basic movements, often bumping into walls, changing direction incorrectly and having trouble even navigating virtual stairs.
Her eyesight and slower reflexes presented additional challenges, but she continued practising.
Over time, Zhong became increasingly comfortable with computer games. In 2022, she took the next step and began livestreaming herself playing.
Her unusual journey quickly attracted attention. Viewers were fascinated by the sight of a grandmother from a suburban area of Guangdong confidently playing shooting games while also using gaming terminology associated with much younger players.
Zhong has reportedly accumulated more than 8,000 hours of gameplay.
‘Auntie Juan’ takes on a young gaming prodigy
One of Zhong's most memorable gaming moments came in December 2024, when she participated in an online exhibition match of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
The match featured several notable players, including Russian teenage prodigy “donk”, who had recently established himself as a major name in competitive Counter-Strike.
Zhong managed to eliminate the 17-year-old during the match, leaving viewers surprised and further boosting her popularity online.
