AFP
“Mami Nena”, the Chilean video game star grandmother
When the competitors of Free Fire, the popular online shooting video game, face the avatar of the warrior Mami Nena, few would imagine that the person behind the computer screen is an 81-year-old Chilean woman. María Elena Arévalo, a An octogenarian who lives in a rural town in Chile, adopted the virtual identity of Mami Nena, a warrior in a short kimono, black gloves and a fang mask. The woman with black hair and glasses, who usually wears an apron, settles in front of the screens and refines her lethal aim to fight on the virtual islands. Her sweet voice and her publications on social networks made her popular as the “gamer grandmother.” Today she has more than four million followers. Arévalo came to the world of video games in 2020, to face the loneliness that overwhelmed her after the death of her husband after 56 years of marriage. About 42% of those over 80 years of age In Chile they feel alone, a risk for their mental health, according to a study by the Catholic University of Chile. At the suggestion of his only grandson, Héctor Carrasco, now 20 years old, immersed himself in the digital world. “I didn’t even know what a mouse was,” Arévalo recalls. But once she learned how to play, especially Free Fire, she got excited. With her character of Mami Nena, as her grandson calls her, she became known as a fierce rival who chases her opponents hidden behind trees and houses. “I didn’t want to hurt anyone,” she recalls. But over time he liked to “follow them and kill them,” he says with a smile. Arévalo practiced about two hours, three times a week, for a year, until he earned the points necessary to reach the “Heroic” rank league. second most competitive level of the video game. But she does not forget her husband and his memory accompanies her in Free Fire, embodied in a bird that follows Mami Nena called Benito, as she called her husband. – Grandmother and grandson -Three years after starting her digital adventure in her home in Llay-Llay, a rural town 90 km from Santiago, widowhood is no longer an issue for her. She had four million followers on TikTok, before his account was stolen, and 700,000 subscribers on YouTube. He interacts with them, gives tips to improve in Free Fire and gives away the coveted “Elite Pass”, an in-game benefit that allows users to access exclusive rewards such as weapons , costumes and medals. In this rebirth of María Elena Arévalo, her grandson was crucial. “He taught me everything I know. Without him, I wouldn’t be here,” she says with emotion. “I feel like she’s like a best friend,” adds the young man, who always accompanies her in her videos. Although she is a great player of Free Fire does not understand very well how cell phones or computers work. But that’s what her grandson is for. He manages her social networks, broadcasts her games online and managed her only trip so far outside of Chile. Thanks to her success in the game, Free Fire recognized her as one of the influential figures in the video game and paid her a trip to Mexico City in 2022, for the brand’s anniversary. “All the children (players) told me that they signed autographs (…) It was very beautiful. The day I leave, I’m going to leave with that,” says Arévalo. – Senior Leaders – The “gamer grandmother” today is less active in games due to scleroderma, a disease that causes hardening of the skin. But she doesn’t see herself retired. “I love doing this. I’ll keep going as long as I can,” says Arévalo. A passion that is shared by more and more older people in the world. Among them the Ukrainian team Young Guard, from the game Counter Strike, whose members are on average 75 years old, or the Japanese Hamako Mori, 93 years old, the oldest gamer in the world. In Chile, Mami Nen’ continues to achieve success. On December 21, she was recognized by the Catholic University and the newspaper El Mercurio as one of the country’s 100 Senior Leaders for her role in reducing generational stereotypes. “I never imagined this. I played to play, to be there, wagging my finger,” she celebrated after the ceremony.axl / ps / vel / dg / mas
2024-01-03 01:45:34
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