Auntie Juan used to drag her son out of internet cafes for playing video games and now is a gaming star herself. Zhong Juanjuan has 5,27,000 followers and livestreams twice a day. The 60-year-old began gaming in 2020, later becoming skilled enough to compete against young professionals and even eliminate a Russian prodigy in 2024.
A mother in China once saw video games as a problem for her teenage son but in a remarkable twist she has now turned gaming into her own second career. Zhong Juanjuan, 60, known to her online followers as Auntie Juan, has become a popular gaming livestreamer in southern China. She now has around 5,27,000 followers and reportedly attracts about 10,000 viewers to each of her regular livestreams, according to a report by South China Morning Post. Her journey is all the more surprising because she only started playing computer games around six years ago.
She once banned her son from gaming
Zhong lives in a suburban area of Meizhou in Guangdong province. She completed only primary school and worked several part-time jobs, including sales and childcare, before retiring around a decade ago.
Her connection with gaming began through her younger son, known online as Suode. Around two decades ago, when Suode was still in secondary school, he became so absorbed in video games that his grades began to suffer. His mother was deeply worried about his habit.
Zhong would reportedly visit local internet cafes to find him and sometimes physically drag him home. His gaming addiction became a source of repeated arguments between mother and son.
But years later, the roles changed completely.
Curious mother decides to try gaming
In 2020, Zhong watched Suode playing games at home after he had left his job. Instead of getting angry, she became curious. She wanted to understand what made gaming so enjoyable for him.
Suode was initially surprised when his mother asked to learn. He eventually agreed to teach her.
The early lessons were far from easy.
Zhong struggled to control her character and sometimes walked straight into walls. She found it difficult to turn in the right direction and even struggled with virtual stairs. Her eyesight was also declining, while her reactions were slower than those of younger players.
But she kept practising.
Her persistence eventually paid off, and in 2022 she began livestreaming her gaming sessions.
60-year-old grandmother surprises young gamers
Zhong’s unusual combination of age, personality and gaming ability quickly attracted attention.
She appeared on basic streaming equipment, playing shooting games while casually using gaming slang that is more commonly associated with younger players.
According to the South China Morning Post, Zhong has now accumulated more than 8,000 hours of gameplay.
Her biggest online moment came in December 2024, when she was invited to participate in an online exhibition match of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
One of the players on the other side was Russian gaming prodigy donk, who was only 17 at the time and had recently become a world champion.
Zhong surprised viewers by eliminating him during the match.
Cameras installed after viewers raised doubts
Her growing popularity also brought scepticism. Some people online questioned whether Zhong was really controlling the game herself. There were suggestions that another person could be playing on her behalf.
To answer those doubts, Suode installed several cameras around his mother.
The cameras allowed viewers to watch Zhong from different angles while she played, making it easier for them to see that she was actually handling the controls herself.
Her age has also become a talking point, with some people questioning whether gaming was an appropriate activity for a woman in her 60s.
Zhong has rejected that idea.
“As a mother, should I only be relegated to household chores?” she asked.
She has said gaming keeps her mind active and helps improve hand-eye coordination. Her message to others is simple: learning something new does not have an age limit.
Her son is now her gaming agent!
The most amusing part of Zhong’s story is what happened to her relationship with Suode. The son whose gaming was once interrupted by his mother is now working as her full-time agent.
He manages aspects of her gaming career and even makes sure the internet connection is switched off at midnight so that his mother does not stay awake playing for too long.
That role reversal has become part of the charm surrounding Auntie Juan.
In fact, Zhong received another reminder of her growing fame recently when a middle-aged man recognised her at a wet market and told her that he had watched her gaming online.