Levelling up in retirement: Seniors find joy playing CS: GO after 14-week e-sports course

SINGAPORE — Every Monday and Thursday at precisely 8pm, four seniors between the ages of 62 and 74 log in to their Discord group chat, fingers poised over their keyboard, ready to play an hour or two of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO).

This quartet known as "S-Team" is made up of Ms Evelyn “eT” Thio, 62; Mr Philip “Tango” Tang, 68; Ms Maisie “Steady” Lim, 74; and Mr Jimmy “Alfa” Tang, 74.

They had gone through a 14-week silver e-sports training programme in July as part of the “Seniors Go!” initiative by non-profit organisation Lien Foundation.

For this programme on gaming, the Lien Foundation partnered with SCOGA E-sports Academy to train a group of seniors.

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They see it as a way to fight ageism by showing how, with proper training, the seniors can still learn and do well in activities typically associated with younger folks.

During the course, ​they met every Tuesday for three hours to learn how to play. Since completing the training course, the four seniors who were initially strangers have turned into a tight-knit group that still meets regularly online and in person to play CS: GO. 

“Initially, I was quite sceptical about playing these computer games. After I joined, I found it interesting and fun,” said Mr Phillip Tang.

“It doesn't matter whether we win or lose; there is some laughter and we can spend time together as a team.”

The 14 weeks proved fruitful for the seniors, who have gained not only motor skills and new friendships but also a new hobby as they head into their twilight years.

“Nowadays, people are living longer than before. My dad is 94 years old, and my mom is 91. What will happen if I live till 100?” said Ms Thio, who boasts hobbies like playing the cello, doing ballet and muay thai. 

Agreeing, Mr Phillip Tang added: “I think it is good for seniors to step out of their comfort zone and try something new.” 

Loneliness, particularly among older persons, is a major concern in Singapore.

In a 2015 study conducted by the Centre for Ageing Research and Education at Duke-NUS Medical School, it was found that being lonely increased an older person’s risk of dying by 7 per cent, without taking into consideration prevailing health conditions.

LEARNING HOW TO BE AN E-SPORTS PLAYER

A tactical first-person shooter game, CS: GO is where two teams of "terrorists" and "counter-terrorists" would compete to complete objectives, such as securing a location to plant or defuse a bomb and rescuing or guarding hostages.

To play the game, one has to be familiar with "map callouts" — telling your teammate your location on the map so they can be warned of incoming opponents or so they can go to your location to offer assistance.

The map callouts such as “T lower” and “catwalk”, along with names of weapons like “Heckler & Koch MP7”, were all unfamiliar terms for the seniors.

“We have to go onto Google and take down all the new terms and memorise map callouts,” said Mrs Thio. “Every week when we go home, we have to do homework.”

For the seniors who are not as familiar with computers, the first portion of the course was spent learning the keyboard and controls, said Mr Wong Jeng Yih, 34, one of their trainers for the course. 

This included finger placement on the keyboard for moving around on their left hand, coordinating with the mouse on their right hand, communicating with their team and familiarising themselves with the many maps of CS: GO. 

“At first, I was not familiar (with the controls), so I always pressed the wrong key and my character would always face the sky,” said Ms Lim, as the seniors shared their endearing stumbles in learning the game.

“What surprised me most was the enthusiasm from the seniors. Initially, when starting this course, I thought gaming was not really for them,” said Mr Wong. 

He had expected the seniors to quit soon after getting into the programme, but was proven wrong by their continued zeal and interest.

They have even organised "field trips" to LAN shops to hone their skills, and are planning a trip to Johor Bahru to play CS: GO. 

SOUR PLUMS AND PERSEVERANCE

Even though the seniors were excited and are making progress with CS: GO, they admitted that it has been a challenge. 

“I’m a bit slower and sometimes that can be quite frustrating,” Ms Lim said of her reflexes. “Every time I try to aim, I get shot first.”

She also suffers from bouts of motion sickness, especially at the beginning.

Ms Thio had similar issues. During the first two lessons, she had to constantly leave the room to vomit. “Every time I play at home, I have to run to the toilet and squat,” she added. 

She came close to giving up and dropping out in the middle of the course, but her children encouraged her not to. 

“I have to go on because my children, especially my son, reminded me of all the times I told him to persevere when he was younger,” said Ms Thio.

In addition, if Ms Thio were to drop out, the whole team and the programme would have to stop as three people cannot form a full team.

To help her teammate and herself, Ms Lim comes with a pack of sour plums for their sessions. 

“If there’s no sour plum, I’ll eat some achar (pickled vegetables),” she added. 

FEELING COMFORTABLE AND CONFIDENT WITH COMPUTERS 

These seniors used to find computers intimidating; now, they present new opportunities to bond with family.

For instance, Mr Jimmy Tang now plays CS: GO with his grandchildren. 

“A lot of seniors are very fearful of computers. This course allows us to venture into other games,” said Mr Phillip Tang. 

Given that CS: GO has more than 10 maps, the seniors feel emboldened to explore even more complex game modes. 

There is still so much more to learn and 14 weeks were not enough, said Ms Thio.

Which is why long after the course had ended, they are still playing CS: GO.

Mr Wong said the seniors are competition-ready and could compete in their league if they wanted to or slowly move on to more complex games like Valorant.

“Whether we win or lose each game, it doesn't matter. We're just learning,” said Mr Phillip Tang.