‘I wanna be this cool when I’m her age’: 92-year-old grandmother triumphs in bitterly-contested ‘Tekken 8’ tournament

The general consensus in esports is that by the time you hit thirty, you’re over the hill when it comes to competitive play. By this point, a pro-gamer’s reaction speed, dexterity, quick-thinking, and eyesight are all said to be deteriorating.

They may have a point. The “oldest” gamers to have won major tournaments include Faker, who won the Worlds League of Legends tour at the grand old age of 28, and Insania’s The International Dota 2 victory at 30. What fossils they are! Cart them off to a nursing home!

But all that’s been blown away by the incredible victory of 92-year-old Hisako Sakai in a Tekken 8 tournament in Japan. Now, a caveat, this tournament was run by the Care eSports Association and catered specifically to the elderly, with participants ranging in age from 73 to 95.

But that shouldn’t take away from Hisako’s gaming skills. She fought in the finale against Goro Sugiyama, a relative spring chicken at the age of just 78. Sakai, playing as Italian martial arts exorcist Claudio, showed off some fierce combo and juggling skills against his Lilli and left her opponent battered and bruised, walking away with the top prize.

May the light of Sirius extinguish the shadows!

It’s worth remembering that Hisako was born in 1933, obviously long before there was even the vague concept of video games. Heck, she’d have been in her fifties when Nintendo’s Super Famicom arrived on the scene in the 1980s and would have been pushing 60 when Street Fighter II was in arcades.

The general reaction online is support, as well as a reminder that you’re never too old to try new things:

I’m of the opinion that we need to get more old people into games. They need to understand that even if it’ll have a learning curve they will be able to really get enjoyment out of it while their bodies might not have the ability to do much physically anymore. Most just watch TV.

— Austin Kayar (@AustinKayar) December 16, 2025

The fighting game community has people of all ages and backgrounds. A lot of the old guard are kids who grew up in the 80's and 90's when arcades were still thriving. Daigo Umehara (the guy who performed the infamous EVO Moment #37 parry in 2007) is now in his forties.

— TFG⚙️Rhinehart (@TFGRhinehart) December 17, 2025

same!! 😀

— Yayoimasters Merryka🎄🎄 (@enzaimazu) December 16, 2025

Care eSports is currently expanding across Japan and has announced it’s planning to host a national tournament soon. Why can’t there be a similar organization in the United States? I’d love to see grandpa turn off Fox News for a moment and pick up a controller!