Age-defying VALORANT team aim to be ‘respected even by grandchildren’

Fielding a crew of talented players with an average age of 67, a senior Japanese VALORANT team called Matagi Snipers is making waves in the APAC region, proving yet again that it’s never too old for gaming—even in a competitive shooter. 

First reported by Valo2Asia, Matagi Snipers currently houses 16 players with ages ranging from 60 to 75. According to its official website, translated from Japanese using Google, the organization is recruiting players aged 65 or above, but also fields “junior players” aged between 60 and 64. You can check out the full list of members here.

First launched in 2021, Matagi Snipers was born as a project aiming to bring together Japan’s most energetic group of elderly gamers, transforming the negative energy surrounding the word “aging” into positive. Above all, their slogan—being respected by our grandchildren—is not just unique, but also sends a beautiful message to the community. Besides esports, Matagi Snipers also works toward supporting the elderly in terms of healthcare and dementia prevention.

VALORANT is mostly about speed and mechanics, and these skills are usually thought to decline with age. This is why younger players in the community prove to be mechanical beasts. With Matagi Snipers, however, things are entirely different. Not only is the team defying the common belief that video games are just for kids, but they’re remarkably good at shooting and deploying abilities. 

Here’s a clip of one of Matagi Snipers’ players, mark25, who displayed excellent use of Sova’s utilities and patience on Icebox, winning his team the round and the game.

The social page regularly posts clips of the team’s players winning rounds in VALORANT and celebrating the small joys of life. It’s truly commendable. Matagi Snipers also maintains a Twitch profile, where its players livestream their games, so you can always join in and give support.