When competitors from Free Fire, the popular online shooter video game, face off against warrior Mami Nena, few imagined that behind the avatar of short kimono, black gloves and fanged mask is someone like María Elena Arévalo, an 81-year-old Chilean grandmother who lives in Llay-Llay, a rural town 90 kilometers from Santiago.
Arévalo came to the world of video games in 2020 thanks to her only grandson, Héctor Carrasco, who immersed her in the digital world to face the loneliness that overwhelmed her after the death of her husband after 56 years of marriage. "He taught me everything I know. I didn't even know what a mouse was," Arevalo recalls.
But once he learned how to play, especially Free Fire, he got excited. With her character of Mami Nena, as her grandson calls her, she became known as a fierce rival who pursues her opponents hidden behind trees and houses. "I didn't want to hurt anybody," he recalls. But eventually he liked to "follow them and kill them," he says with a smile.
Maria Elena practiced for about two hours, three times a week, for a year, until she earned the points needed to reach the "Heroic" rank league, the second most competitive level in the game.
Her sweet voice and social media posts made her popular as the "gamer grandma." He had four million followers on TikTok, before his account was stolen, and 700,000 subscribers on YouTube. He interacts with them, gives tips to improve in Free Fire, and gives away the coveted "Elite Pass," an in-game perk that allows users to access exclusive rewards such as weapons, costumes, and medals.