One of the most ferocious players on the video game Free Fire is an 81-year-old grandmother from rural Chile.
Maria Elena Arevalo started playing after her grandson introduced her to it. Gaming helped her find joy again after her husband passed in 2020.
“I felt better because I didn’t think so much about my late husband any more,” she said.
Arevalo shares tips with her 4 million TikTok followers and 650,000 YouTube subscribers.
This month, Arevalo was named one of Chile’s 100 most important elderly people by the El Mercurio newspaper and the Catholic University for helping break down age stereotypes.
Despite having scleroderma, a disease that causes her skin to harden, Arevalo has no plans to slow down. “I love doing this. I’ll keep going as far as I can,” she said.
