From PS1 to PS5: 91-year-old Chinese man has finished 200 games and still plays 3 hours daily

At an age when most people slow down and retreat into quieter routines, 91-year-old Yang Binglin has built a life around virtual worlds, boss fights, and story-driven adventures. A retired senior petroleum engineer, he spends nearly three hours every afternoon immersed in video games, having completed more than 200 titles over the years. His journey, spanning from the early days of the PlayStation era to the modern PlayStation 5, is not just unusual. It quietly challenges long-held assumptions about ageing, technology, and what it means to stay mentally active.

Building a 200-game legacy at 91

After retiring in the 1990s, Yang found that traditional pastimes like table tennis, mahjong, and card games were not enough to keep him engaged. Seeking something more stimulating, he turned to single-player video games as a way to exercise his mind and maintain cognitive sharpness. What began as a curiosity soon evolved into a disciplined daily habit, one that continues to define his routine decades later.

Yang’s gaming life mirrors the evolution of the industry itself. Starting in an era when computers were still a luxury in China, he navigated limited access, expensive hardware, and a lack of localised games. Despite language barriers, having studied Russian rather than English, he persevered and learned game mechanics and narratives through patience and repetition. From early consoles to the latest PlayStation 5, his adaptability has remained constant.

Unlike casual players, Yang approaches gaming with remarkable discipline. Each completed title is carefully recorded, with discs labelled to note the completion date and the ending achieved. This personal archive, built over decades, stands as a testament to his consistency and dedication, capturing a lifetime of digital exploration across genres and platforms.

Finding connection across generations

In his early years as a gamer, Yang struggled to find peers who shared his interest. Shop owners reportedly told him there was no one else like him in the city. At home, he would excitedly recount game stories to his wife, who found them difficult to follow. Over time, it was his grandson and his grandson’s friends who became his gaming companions, turning what was once a solitary hobby into a bridge between generations.

Today, Yang’s passion has found a wider audience. He shares his experiences on social media, documenting gameplay and connecting with viewers intrigued by his story. His dedication has even earned recognition from Guinness World Records, highlighting his status as one of the oldest gaming streamers. His current PlayStation 5, reportedly gifted and signed by executives from Sony China, reflects the admiration he has garnered within the gaming community.

Still pressing ‘continue’

Yang Binglin’s story is not just about playing games. It is about persistence, curiosity, and refusing to be defined by age. Through decades of technological change and personal evolution, he has remained consistent in one simple habit, showing up every day with a controller in hand. At 91, while many step back, he continues to move forward, level by level and story by story, proving that passion, once discovered, does not fade with time.