A 59-Year-Old Mom is Beating Pros at Counter-Strike

A gaming mom in China, known online as Auntie Juan, is turning heads after showing off some serious skills in Counter-Strike, one of the world’s most competitive shooters. The 59-year-old streamer recently went viral for taking down some of the biggest names in professional esports. While most people her age are looking toward a quiet retirement, she is busy racking up headshots in Counter-Strike and proving that age is just a number when it comes to having a “gamer” instinct.

The world of tactical shooters like Counter-Strike is usually dominated by teenagers and young adults with lightning-fast reflexes. In this high-stakes environment, professional players often train for over ten hours a day to maintain their edge. Because the game relies so heavily on split-second timing and precise aim, it is rare to see anyone over the age of 30 competing at a high level, let alone someone who picked up a controller later in life. However, the rise of older gamers in games like Counter-Strike is starting to challenge these long-held stereotypes about who belongs in the digital arena.

Counter-Strike 2 Player Pays $45,000 for Common Skin, Here’s Why

Rare Counter-Strike 2 skins can cost exorbitant amounts, but recently one caught attention for being expensive despite being a common skin.

From Walking into Walls to One-Tapping Pros

Auntie Juan, whose real name is Zhong Juanjuan, had absolutely zero interest in video games until the global pandemic hit, according to a Sixth Tone video report from reporter Lü Xiao. Bored during lockdowns, she asked her son to teach her the basics. Her start was humble; her son recalled her struggling to move her character, noting she was even “having fun even just pressing ‘W’ to move.” Zhang herself admitted, “When I first started, I’d just walk straight into walls. I’d be walking while looking up at the sky”. Despite the steep learning curve, she practiced for five to six hours every day, even neglecting her plants to improve her aim.

As of early 2026, Zhang has logged a staggering 8,057 hours in Counter-Strike. That dedication recently paid off during a friendly exhibition match organized by a popular creator. Auntie Juan found herself facing off against some of the best Counter-Strike talent in the world, including a 19-year-old prodigy named Donk, who was ranked as the best player in the world in 2024, and Sh1ro, a professional player with over $1 million in career tournament earnings. During the match, Zhang shocked viewers by landing a perfect “one-tap” headshot on Donk, and shortly after, eliminated Sh1ro while he was mid-air. The clips of her quick reactions exploded across social media, leaving the professional players—and the audience—in total disbelief.

While her success might seem like a fluke to some, Zhang’s background actually prepared her for the high-pressure world of competitive Counter-Strike gaming. Before retiring, she spent two decades as a senior CNC machine operator. This professional background required intense focus and exceptional hand-eye coordination—the exact same skills needed to click heads in a first-person shooter.

Her training routine was intense, starting with shooting balloons on aim-training maps and practicing against bots to build muscle memory. Once she was comfortable, she moved into “deathmatch” modes to learn timing, map positioning, and how to use grenades effectively. Her son was so worried about her playing too much that he eventually set the home router to turn off at 2 AM to force her to sleep.

As her popularity grew, Auntie Juan began livestreaming her journey to thousands of fans. However, her skills are so impressive that some viewers refuse to believe she is actually the one playing. Her chat is often filled with wild theories, such as claims that she is using advanced “elderly CGI” to fake her appearance or that a younger player is using a voice changer to sound like an older woman. Zhang shared some of the wilder accusations: “A few days ago, someone said, ‘Are you an AI?’”

Zhang laughs off these accusations, noting that the excitement of an audience actually gives her more energy. In 2022, she was signed by a domestic streaming agency, and her gaming career has allowed her to travel across China to attend offline events. For Auntie Juan, competitive gaming is just another way to stay active, much like square dancing or mahjong for others in her generation. “The first step might be hard,” she says about her journey. “But if you take it, you might just open up a whole new world.”