78-year-old ‘grumpy gran’ earns Guinness World Record as oldest Fortnite streamer
A 78-year-old grandmother has earned herself a Guinness World Record title for oldest Fortnite streamer on Twitch (female).
Cath Bowie, who streams under the handle grumpygran1948, is single-handedly proving that gaming isn’t just for younger folk and has amassed an army of followers on Twitch.
Cath, from Scotland, has been playing Fortnite since 2017 after seeing her teenage grandson playing the game and becoming ‘intrigued’.
Since then, she has steadily grown her online community to 24,000 followers.
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Cath told Guinness World Records that she had tried playing racing and football games but said nothing held her interest until she began playing Fortnite.
“I had at last found a game for me,” Cath said.
“Although I have tried several other games, I have never found the excitement that I get from Fortnite. I call myself a Fortniter more than a gamer.”
Cath initially started out using her grandson’s console but after becoming hooked on the game she decided to buy her own and decided that she fancied giving streaming a go.
Her grandson wasn’t convinced that fellow gamers would tune in to watch a granny playing a video game but she has well and truly proved him wrong and now has the Guinness World Record to prove it.
“As a young guy, he just couldn’t believe that his grandma would do such a thing and suggested that nobody would join me or watch me,” Cath recalled.
“Saying that was like a red rag to a bull to me. I would show him that I could do it. 24,000+ followers later and he doesn’t mention it. I wonder why?”
Cath said she settled on the name grumpygran1948 after a suggestion from her granddaughter but insists that she’s not actually grumpy.
In fact, she says the friends and community she’s made through gaming is just as much fun as winning.
“I love the community. I love talking to people. I chat all the time, and I just love the whole atmosphere,” she said.
“I love the challenge that it gives me, and I’m afraid I play it every day.”
Cath says being recognised by Guinness World Records ‘means so much’ to her as she grew up reading the book as a kid.
She continued: “Even as I progressed over the years in gaming, being recognised as an older female player and streamer in Guinness World Records Gamer’s Edition 2027 always felt like a distant goal - something on my wish list that I never really thought I would achieve.
“So to have achieved this honour means a great deal. I’m incredibly thankful to my wonderful family, who have encouraged me throughout the last nine years of playing, and to the many friends I’ve played with along the way.”
She also offered some sound advice for anyone out there who thinks they might be a little too old to pick up a controller.
“Never let anyone tell you that you’re too old,” she said. “You are never too old to start gaming. Do it.”
Topics: Gaming, UK News, Technology, Guinness World Record
Claire Reid