78-year-old CSGO player becomes champion with Silver Snipers

“I’m 78 and I’ll kick your ass at Counter-Strike!”

PC Gamer’s Totally Game series recently featured 78-year-old CSGO champion Abbe “DieHardBirdie” Drakborg, who won the CSGO Senior League tournament at DreamHack last year with his squad, Silver Snipers. The youngest member was 64 years old at the time. 

DieHardBirdie said that winning DreamHack was his favorite moment of his career because it allowed his team to showcase their skills to a crowd. He recalled getting their photograph taken with the trophy and some younger players around them, marveling at the energy of the event. 

“It was fantastic,” he said. 

The Silver Snipers were the first senior CSGO team in the world, inspiring other older gamers to pick up the game and play competitively. At 78, DieHardBirdie is the oldest pro CSGO player in the world and the oldest pro to win his first championship in the game.

“You can never be too old to play video games,” he told PC Gamer. “Age is just a number.”

DieHardBirdie started playing CSGO when he retired from his job and now plays at least four hours a day. DieHardBirdie explained that his love for CSGO stems from the game’s need for concentration. He said that he doesn’t get upset when he dies because he has so much fun playing the game. 

After winning DreamHack, DieHardBirdie decided to retire from esports and focus on streaming. His channel features clips of him playing CSGO and using his signature bird whistle, which he plays when he is confident he is set to score a kill.

“I stream my game on Twitch because I like to leave something behind after my life, for the next generation,” DieHardBirdie said. 

For him, quitting CSGO is not an option. He said it’s impossible for him to give up his passion for gaming.