ByAlistair Whitfield- alistair.whitfield@hnmedia.co.uk
Published: 10:37, 24 September 2026
Guinness World Records has acclaimed a 78-year-old grandma from Moray as the oldest female Fortnite streamer in the world.
Cath Bowie’s love of the massively popular online game began almost by accident in September 2017, after she began watching her grandson playing it.
She said: “Although I have tried several other games, I have never found the excitement that I get from Fortnite. I call myself a Fortniter more than a gamer.”
After initially playing on her grandson’s console, Cath eventually bought her own.
She then decided she wanted to try streaming, so other people could watch her games. Her grandson wasn’t convinced anyone would watch his grandmother play.
Cath, who lives in Keith, said: “As a young guy, he just couldn’t believe that his grandma would do such a thing and suggested that nobody would join me or watch me.
“Saying that was like a red rag to a bull to me. I would show him that I could do it. Now, 24,000 followers later, he doesn’t mention it. I wonder why?”
For those who don’t know, a game of Fortnite involves a hundred players whose computer characters are all dropped onto an island at the same time.
The winner is the last one standing.
Today, Cath regularly streams Fortnite as grumpygran1948, a name chosen by her granddaughter despite Cath insisting she “doesn’t grump”.
For Cath, gaming is as much about community and challenging herself as winning.
She said: “I love the community. I love talking to people. I chat all the time, and I just love the whole atmosphere.
“I love the challenge that it gives me, and I’m afraid I play it every day.”
How a match of Fortnite actually works
The game is known as a ‘Battle Royale’. Millions play it globally, but every 20-minute match follows the exact same four-step loop.
1. The Drop
100 players fly over a bright, cartoon-like virtual island in a flying ‘Battle Bus’. They parachute down to a starting location of their choice.
2. The Scramble
Players land with no equipment. They must frantically search buildings for useful items and chop down trees or walls to collect building materials.
3. The Storm
To prevent players from hiding forever, a deadly digital ‘storm’ slowly closes in from the edges of the map. This forces all survivors into an ever-shrinking safe zone.
4. Last One Standing
Players use their gathered equipment to outsmart and eliminate others. The match ends when 99 players are out, leaving one final player (or small team) as the winner.
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