{"id":26447,"date":"2024-01-31T12:31:01","date_gmt":"2024-01-31T03:31:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=26447"},"modified":"2024-01-31T12:31:02","modified_gmt":"2024-01-31T03:31:02","slug":"20240121-26447","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/20240121-26447\/","title":{"rendered":"These Japanese grandmas and grandpas are owning the Valorant esports scene\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>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\u2019s Akita prefecture in 2021, the Matagi Snipers\u2019 recent Twitch streams of the FPS <strong>Valorant<\/strong> have gone from 1.2K views to 13.1K views in one week.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As reported on Japanese gaming news website <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inside-games.jp\/article\/2024\/01\/30\/152208.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Inside<\/a>, the Matagi Snipers are characterized by their high age range. Team members must be 65 or older, with those aged 60 to 64 considered \u201cjunior players.\u201d 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 <a href=\"https:\/\/matagi-snps.com\/member\/page\/2\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/matagi-snps.com\/member\/page\/2\/\">website<\/a>). Their slogan is to be \u201cA presence that even our grandchildren will recognize,\u201d and to this end, the Snipers are aiming to become a pro-level team.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.inside-games.jp\/article\/2024\/01\/30\/152208.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"423\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" src=\"http:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/20240121-26447-001.png\" alt=\"Matagi Snipers esports team made up of Japanese senior citizens\" class=\"wp-image-26454\" srcset=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/20240121-26447-001.png 900w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/20240121-26447-001-380x179.png 380w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/20240121-26447-001-768x361.png 768w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/20240121-26447-001-600x282.png 600w\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>(Photo credit: Matagi Snipers\/Inside)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>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.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"ja\" dir=\"ltr\">\u5f7c\u5973\u306e\u30d7\u30ec\u30a4\u306f\u975e\u5e38\u306b\u51b7\u9759\u3067\u3059\ud83d\udc4f\ud83d\udc4f<\/p>&mdash; \u30aa\u30fc\u30de\u30f3 (@bombwoman_bucky) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bombwoman_bucky\/status\/1751082275184501130?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 27, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong><em>Original post translation:<\/em><\/strong><em> Thank you for watching us today. The next stream is scheduled at 7pm on Monday, January 29th. Here\u2019s NAGI, who is relieved after winning the match point.<\/em>\u00a0<br><strong><em>Comment: <\/em><\/strong><em>Her playstyle is extremely calm.<\/em>\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>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\u2019s smoke ability to block the enemies\u2019 line of sight. His use of the ability \u201cParanoia\u201d to support his allies by impeding the enemies\u2019 vision and precise placing of the smoke impressed viewers.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"ja\" dir=\"ltr\">\u672c\u65e5\u3082\u3054\u8996\u8074\u3042\u308a\u304c\u3068\u3046\u3054\u3056\u3044\u307e\u3057\u305f\u3002<br><br>\u3053\u308c\u306f\u76e3\u7763\u3082\u9a5a\u304f\u30b9\u30d4\u30fc\u30c9\u3067\u30e2\u30af\u3092\u51fa\u3057\u3001\u3057\u308c\u3063\u3068\u5473\u65b9\u306e\u30ab\u30d0\u30fc\u306b\u30d1\u30e9\u30ce\u30a4\u30a2\u3092\u5165\u308c\u305f\u5f8c\u3001\u89e3\u9664\u4e2d\u306e\u5473\u65b9\u306e\u76fe\u306b\u306a\u308bmark25 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3ETeTzYXDN\">pic.twitter.com\/3ETeTzYXDN<\/a><\/p>&mdash; MATAGI SNIPERS \/ \u30de\u30bf\u30ae\u30b9\u30ca\u30a4\u30d1\u30fc\u30ba (@MATAGI_Snipers) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MATAGI_Snipers\/status\/1751965323379843495?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 29, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong><em>Post translation: <\/em><\/strong><em>Thank you for watching us today. <\/em>\u00a0<br><em>Even the director is surprised by the speed at which mark25 gets the smoke out, then provides cover for a disarmed ally after casually shielding them with Paranoia.<\/em>\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" src=\"http:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/20240121-26447-002.jpeg\" alt=\"Valorant Omen\" class=\"wp-image-26453\" srcset=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/20240121-26447-002.jpeg 900w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/20240121-26447-002-380x214.jpeg 380w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/20240121-26447-002-768x432.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/20240121-26447-002-600x337.jpeg 600w\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>The playable character Omen from Valorant.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>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 <a href=\"https:\/\/store.matagi-snps.com\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/store.matagi-snps.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">online shop<\/a> where they sell charity T-shirts with the slogan \u201cRainy days never stay.\u201d 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 <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/swPmvSxRkU8?si=HZZDoXcPcdXV2ULj\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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 <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/OooDa\/status\/1752157715017978289?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">commented<\/a> \u201cAge is just a number. They can hold their own.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Matagi Snipers can be followed on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MATAGI_Snipers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">X<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.twitch.tv\/matagisnipers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Twitch<\/a>. &nbsp;<br>Valorant is free-to-play on <a href=\"https:\/\/playvalorant.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">PC<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In their 60s and 70s, the Akita-based Matagi Snipers are proving that age is just a number with their impressive FPS streams.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":26452,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-26447","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - 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