In the Game Arena at 1556 N. High St., members of Senior Esports USA sat at their high-tech desks. Colorful gaming PCs flashed lights by their feet as the seniors chatted with each other, played video games and prepared for the energetic event of the day: a draft.
These aren't high school or college seniors. These seniors are lean, mean, gaming machines – and they're living off retirement funds.
On Aug. 18, a team of 11 senior citizens were drafted to represent the United States during the Global Esports Federation 2026 Global Esports Games in Los Angeles from Dec. 1-7, where they will face Senior Team Belgium. The U.S. team will make history as the first team of American senior citizens represented at the Global Esports Games.
The two teams will
fight for honor through the video game Rocket League, which combines soccer with rocket-powered cars.
Senior Esports USA participates in the Health-e-Gamer Foundation's LevelUpLand program, which uses gaming and technology to help older adults stay socially connected, build digital skills and improve their overall well-being, according to a press release.
The gamers, all from Columbus, selected in the draft for the Senior Esports USA team are as follows, including their gamer tags:
- Roxie Goodlett (FoxyRoxy14), 76 years old
- Karla Thornton (Red30), 71 years old
- Vicky Jo Walters (VJ53), 73 years old
- Rendia Crews (GoldenBalletBOSS), 64 years old
- Carla Cornelious (CreativeCee), 70 years old
- Tona Moore (GamingGrandma), 75 years old
- "Ladee" Pamela Shields (MzDu-Wickle), 72 years old
- Natacha Otey (Fayola), 71 years old
- Rodney Kellum (Grampa2Time), 68 years old
- Esther Owens (LittleMis.terri), 67 years old
- Rev. Belinda Woods (BlinkBiz), 65 years old
Doctor helps to improve senior empowerment
Dr. Melita Moore, a sports medicine and brain injury physician, is the executive director of the Health-e-Gamer Foundation, which supports healthy gaming and esports participation by promoting education, balance and well-being, according to the foundation's website.
Moore is also the CEO of Levels Unlocked Enterprises, a for-profit company. LevelUpLand, a joint program between Levels Unlocked Enterprises and the Health-e-Gamer Foundation, is a program that uses gaming as a social connector to combat the epidemic of isolation and loneliness for seniors. Additionally, LevelUpLand includes youth programming where esports and gaming are used for workforce development and career readiness.
Moore was born and raised in Columbus. The city is her "backyard," Moore told The Dispatch. As a vice president of the Global Esports Federation Board, Moore works with 180 countries and their esports federations.
"I get to see esports and gaming on a global stage," Moore said. "And so, I decided, all this work that I'm doing internationally, why am I not doing that same work in my backyard? And so, we decided to plant our flag here in central Ohio so that I can ensure that my community has the same impact and accesses that I get to see around the world."
Senior esports competitive teams exist, Moore said, but not in Rocket League and "certainly not as a full programmatic initiative like we have."
The game against Belgium's team is an invitational as part of the Global Esports Games, which will have about 500 athletes competing, representing over 100 countries that will be at the global games, Moore said.
This team of seniors representing central Ohio and the U.S. on an international level is "just beyond any of our wildest dreams," Moore said. Some seniors have been participating in the LevelUpLand program for the past two and a half years.
"When we first started this, none of them knew what we were doing with gaming and sports, but they took a chance to try something new, and they have since come to love this program," Moore said.
The seniors are "elated" and "proud," empowered by a program that has gone from an initiative combatting senior loneliness to a real competitive sports team.
"They are so empowered, and the pride that they have on their faces when they wear their Senior Esports USA T-shirts, you know, just to let not only central Ohio know, but the world know that they are here," Moore said.
LevelUpLand has been funded from its inception by the Franklin County Board of Commissioners and the Franklin County Office on Aging, Moore said. The seniors get to participate in the program at no cost.
Gaming provides health benefits to older adults
Loneliness has real health implications the general public may not be aware of, Moore said. Those who identify as lonely or socially isolated have an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, dementia, depression and premature death. Becoming a part of a tight-knit community, like Senior Esports USA, can help combat those side effects.
Mental health aside, gaming has physical benefits for older adults, Moore said. Gaming can improve hand-eye coordination, processing speed and general cognitive health.
"We're talking about lifestyle medicine, longevity, culinary medicine, the importance of sleep and stress management," Moore said. "All these things play a role for everyone to age gracefully, to age healthy. And so that's what we're doing with our Road to Gold program under the Senior Esports USA initiative."
"Ladee" Pamela Shields, drafted to be a part of the official team, has felt her mental acuity sharpen since she's joined the LevelUpLand program and Senior Esports USA.
"What I'm now doing is potentially reducing – keyword – reducing the risk of a diagnosis associated with Alzheimer's and dementia," she said. "Far too often, particularly people of color, we have ignored many of the signs. We've just played it off like, 'Ah, she just forgot to do this.' But we now have to take broad strides and broad initiatives like esports to look at the data, the research, because that's what they do."
On top of mental acuity, Shields said she has felt her vision improve.
"There's muscles in your eyes," Shields said. "And the more you utilize your eyes to follow the roving ball, fast-speed car, you improve that. And I promise you, with everything I love, I have felt the improvement."
Shields, who spoke to The Dispatch while holding a pet bunny named Baby Bundt Cakkes and decked out in Senior Esports USA gear, wanted to play sports growing up, but could not as a young girl growing up in the '50s and '60s. She learned about Moore and the health benefits of gaming after attending a tech conference around 2023.
"I was fascinated," she said. "I could not believe that there's research that's doing a broad scope for senior citizens trying to improve our health, because that's the way we're going now with telehealth. We've got to start wrapping our minds around this because it's not going anywhere."
Dispatch Reporter Nora Igelnik can be reached at nigelnik@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus senior citizens are making history through competitive gaming
