Celebrating Women in Gaming

At 82-years-old, Shirley Curry is not your typical YouTube star. But with over 450,000 subscribers, she's most definitely a high level YouTuber with her gaming YouTube channel, getting thousands of views, comments, and even physical fan mail!

"It was like being in a movie and I could do whatever I wanted to, go wherever I wanted to. I just fell in love with it."

Grandma Shirley, as most of her followers call her, is a proud gamer. She started out playing Civilization 2 before discovering Skyrim, her favourite game . When friends asked her to record her gameplay, she obliged and became an instant sensation.

Her videos aren't as exciting as other gaming channels. She doesn't scream or make ridiculous noises or add tons of extra effects. Instead, she's calm and sweet, enjoying her adventure. It's a refreshing change on YouTube and has brought her continued success as she does her gaming videos, vlogs and meet ups.

She takes the YouTube channel very seriously. In fact, she's given up her other hobbies like quilting and reading, instead focusing on the gaming.

Her YouTube channel has even eaten into her time spent playing, and she laments the fact that she simply isn't able to spend all night playing video games anymore because she has to stick to her publication schedule on YouTube.

Grandma Shirley might not look like your typical gamer, but she is definitely a serious one. She plays on a PC, enjoying one of the most popular single-player games. But she also plays other new games when they pop up, showing off new worlds to her fans in a fun and safe environment. Her endearing personality and relaxed gameplay appeal to fans across all ages, from young kids to older adults, although everyone simply calls her grandma.

In Argentina and throughout the Spanish-speaking world, Isabel Martinotti is the Abuela (meaning grandma) Gamer. It all started when she got her grandson a PlayStation, and ended up loving it even more than he did.

“We began to play, then came Final Fantasy and that was the end of his Play, because I loved it and spent hours playing.”

She is a serious gamer, particularly enjoying RPGs. When friends didn't believe her grandson that she was such an avid gamer, he recorded videos of her playing and from this, her YouTube channel was born.

It has definitely brought them closer together. Abuela Gamer says she wanted to get closer with him, and because they play games together, they enjoy a real bond. She explains , “Instead of grandmother-grandson, we became friends and he began to tell me about everything that happens outside of the house.”

Abuela Gamer has over 31,000 subscribers to her channel. Her most popular video features her beating a boss in The Witcher 3. Her videos capture the excitement and satisfaction that gamers around the world experience.

Despite her age, she is animated and exhilarated during battles, celebrating her victories and lamenting her defeats. This isn't your even-tempered granny, but a truly fiery abuela who is seriously passionate about video games.

While she hasn't posted as many videos recently, her Instagram feed is still active and she remains a beloved character in Argentina and abroad. Her channel gives hope to other aspiring female gaming YouTubers, proving that you can find success no matter how old you might be.

At the age of 82, Masako Wakamiya became one of the world's oldest iPhone app developers with her game, Hinadan.

“I wanted to stress the impact of ICT (information and communication technology) literacy on mental health since it is a very good thing for lonely seniors to be capable of communicating with others through the internet.”

Players are tasked with arranging dolls on a shelf, reminiscent of an actual festival in Japan. The game is specifically designed for senior players, most often enjoyed by grandparents playing with their grandchildren.

Wakamiya only developed the game herself after reaching out to a variety of game developers asking for games for older people. She explains that seniors often get lonely and lose people in their lives, becoming isolated in their homes. Technology can open them up to new worlds and give them access to friendships and communities they wouldn't have otherwise.

Her app's success led her to be a speaker at Apple's developer conferences, as well as at the UN. She has become a self-described “ICT-Evangelist”, encouraging people of all ages to get involved with technology.

Wakamiya hopes that her app will help older people become comfortable and familiar with the internet and technology, making them more likely to use it in other ways in their lives. She points out that computers and smartphones are just the beginning, as increasingly our watches and speakers are also technologically connected.

Using games to help the elderly stay connected is a passion for Wakamiya. She not only wants to develop more games and apps but also continue to explore technology and see how it can be a part of her life. When not developing games or speaking at world events, she also makes art using an Excel-based version of painting by numbers to create patterns and images.