Doris Self has one of the most extraordinary stories of any gamer in history. Most known for holding the record of “oldest video game champion” by scoring an unbelievable 1,112,300 points in the arcade game Q*bert at the age of 58 (1984).

At the time, Doris was the top ranked Q*Bert player in the world, achieving scores higher than gamers that were decades younger. Many believed she would never become champion, as younger men who were considered faster and more reactionary, dominated competitive gaming at the time. Not only did Doris face a stigma because of her age and gender, she even played the game differently than the other competitive gamers, never memorizing game patterns. She once stated that she just “goes with the flow”. On her record-breaking day, her competitors thought that she was just an older woman that had a love for the game, little did that know that Doris was used to being a pioneer.

In 1945, she was one of the first stewardesses for Eastern airlines at the age of 19. Upon her retirement, she made another imprint on history by starting “The Silver Liners” which was the first association for ex-stewardesses. Doris’ knack for being the “first” was part of her nature and never went away. She started gaming in 1980 when she took a trip to her local movie theater with her daughter. While waiting for her movie to start her daughter started playing a arcade game and asks Doris to join, “Hey mom you’d get a kick out of this” were the famous words that launched a new record-setting career. Soon afterward, Doris became addicted and started playing Q*bert daily at a 24-hour arcade by her home. Going in late at night and not leaving until daylight.

In 2005 Doris once again made the news when she attempted to reclaim her title of oldest video game champion. This time around, her journey towards another world title was chronicled in the 2005 documentary King of Kong. Although Doris posted numbers that would make any Q*bert enthusiast jealous, she didn’t quite beat the current record, citing cameras and distractions as part of the reason for her loss. But not easily discouraged, she continued entering tournaments and competing at the highest level worldwide.

Unfortunately, Doris died shortly afterward in 2006 from a car crash. Until the end of her life she was competitive, upbeat, and positive living a relatively unassuming life. Even her local friends were always shocked to hear about her gaming exploits. Doris was officially recognized as the world’s oldest video game competitor in 2007. A true pioneer in competitive gaming, Doris Self will forever be an inspiration to not only older gamers, but to gamer women around the globe.

https://www.gamerwomen.com/doris-self/ https://i1.wp.com/www.gamerwomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Doris-Self-the-oldest-video-game-champion.jpg?fit=512%2C707&ssl=1 https://i1.wp.com/www.gamerwomen.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Doris-Self-the-oldest-video-game-champion.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 Spotlights arcade games,gamer girls,gamer women,Girl Gamer,history of video games,history of women in gaming,older gamers,play video games,Women in gaming,women in the gaming industry,Women in video games Doris Self has one of the most extraordinary stories of any gamer in history. Most known for holding the record of “oldest video game champion” by scoring an unbelievable 1,112,300 points in the arcade game Q*bert at the age of 58 (1984). At the time, Doris was the top... admin Gamerwomenco@gmail.com Administrator Gamer Women