Doris Self - The World’s Oldest Video Game Champion

When we think of video games, we imagine a bunch of teenagers playing their console from the moment they get home from school before they're inevitably called down for dinner. Yet, the world of gaming stretches far beyond the younger generation, with people of all ages playing video games; in fact, it is estimated that over 2 billion people play video games.

Although, what might be even more shocking is that the world’s oldest video game competition winner was 58 years old when crowned in 1984. Doris Self, born 1925, was officially recognised as 'the world's oldest video game competitor' by the Guinness World Records in 2007. She gained fame in the 1980s when she made video game history by breaking records at the 1984 Twin Galaxies Video Games Masters Tournament after scoring an almost unbelievable 1,112,300 points in the arcade game Q*bert, to become the oldest video game competitor.

At the time, Doris faced stigma as a middle-aged woman within the game industry which was dominated by young males at the time. She was also known for her different approach to gaming, refusing to memorise game patterns, stating that she preferred to "go with the flow."