Senior loneliness is more than a sad reality. It's a medical minefield, increasing the likelihood of dementia, heart disease and stroke. In 2019, a staggering 1 in 3 seniors reported feeling lonely. In 2020, in the midst of a global pandemic, senior loneliness became an even bigger problem. So we turned to an obvious solution. E-sports. E-sports?
Introducing the Get Got by a Gran Challenge. We recruited seniors in lockdown, trained them in E-sports and dared young gamers across the globe to battle it out with them on Senior Citizen’s Day. Then, we streamed the whole thing live on Twitch - bringing two unlikely communities together to combat each other and loneliness.
“The next generation of competitive gamers is...over 60?” -The Wall Street Journal.
“Age is just a number.” -The Gamer
“The team found something unexpected: a welcoming community and a loyal legion of fans to cheer them on.” -CNN
While the accolades are great, the results we’re most proud of came from the mouths of our senior gamers. Proving getting older doesn’t mean getting lonelier.
“I have my friends online. I don’t feel alone.” -Trigger Finger. Age: 68
“It’s never too late to start to play.” - Windy. Age: 78
“There’s so much self quarantining that this is the perfect pastime.” - Crazy Boomer. Age: 73
