Meet Auntie Juan: 60-year-old Chinese woman who started gaming to understand her son’s addiction, but is now a gaming star

For years, Zhong Juanjuan saw video games as something that was taking her son away from his studies.Today, the 60-year-old Chinese woman spends hours playing them herself, with thousands of people tuning in to watch.Known online as “Auntie Juan”, Zhong has turned an unusual family story into an unexpected second career. She started playing computer games in 2020, when she was in her 50s. Six years later, she has more than 5 lakh followers and typically attracts around 10,000 viewers to each of her daily livestreams, according to the South China Morning Post.But the surprising part isn't just her age. It’s how she got here.She once dragged her son out of gaming cafesZhong grew up in Meizhou in Guangdong province and completed only primary school. Over the years, she worked a number of jobs, including selling clothes, working in sales and looking after children. She retired around a decade ago.Gaming, however, had already been part of her family story long before she picked up a mouse.Around two decades ago, her younger son, known online as Suode, became heavily involved in gaming while he was still in secondary school. His grades suffered, and Zhong would go looking for him at internet cafes.Sometimes, she would simply pull him out and take him home.So when the same son was spending long hours gaming again years later, Zhong's first reaction could easily have been to repeat the old argument.Instead, she decided to find out what he was so interested in.It started during the pandemicIn 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic kept families indoors, Zhong watched Suode spend hours playing games at home after leaving his job.She was curious.Rather than simply telling him to stop, she asked him to teach her.Suode was surprised, but he agreed.The first lessons weren't exactly smooth. Zhong struggled to control her character, often walking straight into walls, turning the wrong way and even having trouble getting up virtual stairs. Her eyesight was also declining, while her reactions were naturally slower than those of younger players.But she kept going.And that turned out to be the beginning of something neither mother nor son expected.From struggling beginner to serious gamerZhong didn't just learn to play casually. She started spending hours practising and gradually became good at shooting games, particularly Counter-Strike.Her son, who had spent years playing games himself, taught her things such as positioning, aiming and when to attack or defend. The two also started discussing gaming tactics, sometimes disagreeing over what move to make.The roles inside the family were slowly changing.The mother who once complained about her son's gaming was now asking him about weapons, strategies and gameplay.At one point, Zhong became so engrossed in the game that she lost track of time. According to Economic Observer, she would sometimes play until late at night, prompting Suode to eventually set the home Wi-Fi to switch off automatically so she would stop playing and get some sleep.Her gaming hours soon began to add up.By early 2026, reports put her Counter-Strike playing time at more than 8,000 hours. She also plays other games, but shooting games remain her main focus.Her son told her to start livestreamingAfter seeing how much time his mother was spending on games, Suode suggested that she try livestreaming.Zhong took the idea seriously.She began streaming in 2022 and slowly built an audience. Her basic setup, her age and, most of all, her gaming skills made her stand out from the crowd.There was something almost surreal about watching a woman who had only recently learned to use a gaming mouse sit in front of a computer and play a fast-paced shooting game with the confidence of someone who had been doing it for years.Her streams also became known for her casual use of gaming slang.And then came the doubts.Some viewers thought she was not really playingAs Zhong's skills became more noticeable, some viewers refused to believe that a woman approaching 60 could actually play at that level.People online accused her of using someone else to control the game or suggested that the videos were somehow fake.Her son decided to address the accusations in a very simple way.He installed multiple cameras so viewers could see Zhong, her hands and the screen from different angles while she played. That allowed people watching the livestream to see that she was actually controlling the game herself.There were even more unusual rumours about her past. Some online users speculated that she must have been a highly skilled machine operator or an experienced industrial worker because of the precision of her shooting.Zhong reportedly laughed at the idea.She had no idea what the job they were talking about even meant.The Counter-Strike match that changed everythingZhong's biggest breakthrough came in 2024.In December that year, when she was 58, she was invited to take part in a Counter-Strike exhibition match. One of the players on the other side was Danil “donk” Kryshkovets, the teenage Russian esports star who had become one of the biggest names in competitive Counter-Strike.And Zhong managed to eliminate him with a single precise shot.The moment did not immediately turn her into a global internet sensation. According to Economic Observer, the clip received much more attention months later when first-person footage was released and gamers began analysing the play frame by frame.That was when many younger gamers began paying attention to the woman they had come to know as Auntie Juan.Reports in 2026 also said she later took part in another friendly exhibition match involving professional players, where she managed to eliminate both donk and fellow Team Spirit player Dmitriy “sh1ro” Sokolov in the game. The moment spread widely among gaming communities.It was, of course, one round in an exhibition match and not evidence that she had suddenly become a professional esports player. But for a woman who had picked up gaming only a few years earlier, it was enough to make her a viral name.“Should I only be relegated to household chores?”Her popularity has also brought an entirely different conversation.Some people have questioned why a woman her age spends so much time gaming. The assumption, as Zhong has pointed out, is that women of her generation should stick to more traditional roles.She has pushed back against that idea.“As a mother, should I only be relegated to household chores?” she asked, according to India Today. She has also said that gaming keeps her mind active and helps with hand-eye coordination. Her message is simple: starting something new doesn't have to come with an age limit.And perhaps the biggest irony is that the woman who once tried to stop her son from playing games is now the one who needs to be told when to switch them off.Suode, who once had his gaming interrupted by his mother, is now her full-time agent. He helps with her videos, livestreaming and other work around her online career. He also makes sure she doesn't stay up gaming all night.From selling clothes to becoming a gaming starZhong's story isn't only about gaming.Before becoming Auntie Juan, she had spent much of her life working to support her family. Economic Observer reported that she had sold clothes on the streets, worked as a salesperson and later worked as a childcare provider. She had no formal higher education and had lived most of her life in Meizhou.Gaming changed that.By 2025, her income from gaming was reportedly around ten times what she had earned before she became a streamer, and she had become the main earner in her family. Her son, who once had a job as a software engineer, now works behind the scenes managing her online career.Her family has even created a dedicated gaming room for her, complete with computers and equipment.Yet Zhong apparently doesn't make a big deal about her online fame in everyday life.She has reportedly been hesitant to tell people in her neighbourhood that she is a gaming streamer because she worries they might think she is boasting. On one occasion, she was surprised when someone from her village told her they had seen her on Douyin.Then there are moments that remind her just how far things have gone.Recently, a man recognised her at a wet market and told her that he had watched her gaming online.For Zhong, the journey began with a simple question: why did her son enjoy games so much?She thought she was entering his world to understand him better.Instead, she found a world of her own.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ testGet the latest Lifestyle News and more. Download the TOI app.