A team in APAC region has been making waves for an unexpected reason. The senior Japanese VALORANT team named Matagi Snipers has a crew of talented players with an average age of 67.
It’s an unprecedented feature for gaming, especially in a competitive shooter. Matagi Snipers currently have 16 players whose ages range between 60 to 75. However, the organization, according to information on the official website, is looking to recruit players aged 65 or above.
They also have a junior players category, which houses players aged between 60 and 64. The team was launched in 2021 as a project to gather Japan’s most energetic group of elderly gamers.
Their aim was to change the narrative and negative energy surrounding the word “aging” into positive with a slogan that says “being respected by our grandchildren.”
However, Matagi Snipers are not solely focusing on esports alone as they are also working toward supporting the elderly in terms of healthcare and dementia prevention.
Although VALORANT is known to always be about speed and mechanics, skills that usually are believed to decline with age, Matagi Snipers, however, take things differently. In a community where younger players thrive and are proven to be mechanical beasts, Matagi Snipers are defying the stereotype that video games are just for kids.
Matagi Snipers have a Twitch profile, where their players livestream their games, and their social page regularly posts clips of the team’s players winning rounds in VALORANT.
The Matagi Snipers have explored different esports titles like Apex Legends and Fortnite, but their recent focus on VALORANT has seen the Japanese community pay attention, particularly after clips of their gameplay were shared on Twitter. However, it is left to be seen if they will eventually compete in the official VALORANT Challengers Japan circuit.
Daniel Ademiju Idowu
