These Japanese grandmas and grandpas are owning the Valorant esports scene 

A Japanese esports team made up of senior citizens has been gaining attention on X recently for their age and skill level. Founded in Japan’s Akita prefecture in 2021, the Matagi Snipers’ recent Twitch streams of the FPS Valorant have gone from 1.2K views to 13.1K views in one week. 

As reported on Japanese gaming news website Inside, the Matagi Snipers are characterized by their high age range. Team members must be 65 or older, with those aged 60 to 64 considered “junior players.” As of February 2023, the average age of a Matagi Snipers member was 67 years old (with the oldest member being 75, according to their website). Their slogan is to be “A presence that even our grandchildren will recognize,” and to this end, the Snipers are aiming to become a pro-level team. 

The Matagi Snipers blew up on Japanese social media recently. The videos that attracted the most attention were short clips of their recent Twitch streams of the 5 on 5 competitive first-person shooter Valorant. Posted on X, the first clip shows 63-year-old Nagi (a junior member) in a tense stand-off with only her and one enemy player left standing. Nagi secured victory for her team with an impressive headshot, with her calmness impressing commenters. 

Another Matagi Snipers member has attracted a lot of attention for his speed and grasp of what is happening around his character. In the clip below, 67-year-old mark25 is playing as Omen and efficiently uses the character’s smoke ability to block the enemies’ line of sight. His use of the ability “Paranoia” to support his allies by impeding the enemies’ vision and precise placing of the smoke impressed viewers.  

The esports team is active both online and offline. They take part in events for elderly people in their prefecture, as well as attending esports events and Tokyo Game Show. They also have an online shop where they sell charity T-shirts with the slogan “Rainy days never stay.” The proceeds from these sales go towards disaster relief for the rains and flooding that struck southern Japan in July 2023. The Matagi Snipers were visited by academics from The University of Manchester, and a video of this in English can be watched here. 

Most pro-players of Valorant are in their teens and 20s, with pros in their 30s considered veteran players. The Matagi Snipers are shaking this perspective up, showing that those in their 60s can play at a level that surpasses ordinary players. As game tournament/program announcer and presenter OooDa commented “Age is just a number. They can hold their own.” 

The Matagi Snipers can be followed on X and Twitch.  
Valorant is free-to-play on PC.