TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An elderly Taiwanese woman made headlines this week for competing in her first e-sports tournament last weekend with a group of fellow seniors.
Despite having little knowledge of computers, 65-year-old Chiang Yi-Shu on Saturday (Dec. 17) competed for Hungkuang Evergreen Gaming’s team at her first e-sports tournament at Hungkuang University in Taichung City. Chiang is a member of a team of seniors who range in age from 62 to 69.
Chiang was cited by AP as saying prior to joining the team, she "knew very little about computers. I never thought of learning about it, because I prefer interactions with people." However, she said that once she started to play video games, she found that it was a good way to stimulate the mind and help with dexterity.
Chiang told Deutsche Welle that when she began playing League of Legends, she was "both scared and happy." She found that getting involved in e-sports requires determination and a will to win.
In preparation for the tournament, she trained five hours a week at her home in New Taipei City, She also took a one-hour high-speed rail ride to attend training sessions led by the team's coach Ego Hsu at Hungkuang University once a week.
Hsu was cited by AP as saying that there is less of an emphasis on killing when playing the multiplayer online battle arena video game, and more focus placed on having fun. "If they have their character killed quickly, I will blame myself because it would be my fault not to have taught them well,” said Hsu.
Although her team came up short in their first tournament appearance, Chiang reportedly enjoyed the process of learning new skills and "overcoming her initial ignorance of technology."
