Retired Maria de Lourdes, or Dona Maria Gameplays, started recording videos playing online games in 2020 and it caught on. “I want to evolve,” he tells Estadão
Maria de Lourdes has already worked at the town hall of her city, she has been a housemaid, nanny and carer for the elderly. Now retired, she has become a content creator. On the Internet it is known as Dona Maria Gameplayor simply Grandma gamerto make videos and live playing online.
With 890 thousand followers and 7.6 million likes on TikTok, Dona Maria, 71, was introduced to the world of gaming in 2020 by her son Lucas, who had the idea of recording her while playing the popular League of Legends for the first time.
The video was initially posted on YouTube. He estimates he made around 80 videos at the time. Previously, on the same platform, she focused on cooking, teaching recipes. “I started as a joke and made progress, but it became difficult. I didn’t have the right equipment to record a good recipe, nor the structure in the kitchen. In the end I gave up,” Dona Maria tells Estadao.
It was when he started dedicating himself to the gamer niche, especially on TikTok, that he gained more visibility. Today, with the help of his son, he records two or three videos a week and broadcasts the infamous lives live, from Monday to Saturday, always at 7pm.
In 2023, Dona Maria was named streamer of the year at the TikTok Awards, an award that seeks to recognize the most visible Brazilian content creators on the social network. “I was invited to go to Sao Paulo and I finished second, but it was really, really good. I was competing against a famous person, what to do?”, he jokes.
She says she won a small trophy, and also won the famous YouTube plaque which certifies the milestone of 100 thousand subscribers. “They are looked after with great care,” he guarantees.
Laughing, Dona Maria confesses that she is a shy person. What fascinates users of the social network is precisely the cheerful way in which they react to games. “I really like playing. I’m super happy,” he says.
“My life was very difficult, I studied little, and today I say many wrong things, but it’s my way”, he says. Dona Maria was born in Paraná, “in the middle of the forest”, as she herself describes it, and lives in Ilha Solteira, a city of 26 thousand inhabitants in the interior of São Paulo.
Before entering the universe of more complex games, she already liked the simpler ones: her favorite was online solitaire, which is installed on the Windows system.
Now play Free fire, Elden Ring, Valorant, Fortnite, League of Legends AND Roblox – your favorite. It is a platform where you can create different games and interact with other players, in a sort of virtual world. Her character is characterized, obviously, as a grandmother.
“It’s very fun. I talk to the children, I receive small gifts. I’m in love with it, I play with it almost every day”, says Dona Maria, happy with the affection. Many of her followers are young and call her grandmother, even though TikTok guidelines state that the minimum age to have an account on the social network is 13.
@donamariagameplays
Grandma’s Funeral in Brookhaven #Roblox
original sound – Dona Maria Gameplay – Dona Maria Gameplay
The gamer grandmother is just one of the elderly content creators who have found an opportunity in TikTok to develop hobbies or share their experiences. There are ladies who teach recipes, others show makeup tips for mature skin, and the most uninhibited tell gossip about their lives.
Like many of them, Dona Maria also wants to become an influencer. “I have a lot of good will and I want to evolve little by little,” he says.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
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