70-year-old Taiwanese Trainer Plays ‘Pokémon Go’ with 11 Phones

Becoming a Pokémon master is the dream of every Pokémon trainer. But it seems like that’s not enough for one man. One man seems set on becoming a Pokémon Grandmaster. Enter: Chen San-yuan.

The closest thing we have to a real-world Professor Oak, the 70-year old Taiwanese man was introduced to the gaming phenomenon ‘Pokémon Go’ 2 years ago by his grandson. And immediately, San-yuan was hooked. He started out with just one phone, but has incrementally increased his phone count all the way up to a whopping 11 smartphones. He has stated that he plans on upping his phone count to 15 in the near future.

Chen San-yuan, who has been affectionately dubbed the “Pokémon Grandpa” by the local populace, is capable of playing ‘Pokémon Go’ simultaneously on all 11 devices thanks to his custom bicycle. He has modified the handlebars to be able to fit all 11 smartphones whilst still having enough room to steer. He keeps the phones charged thanks to a custom battery pack that he carries with him.

Playing with 11 accounts grants San-yuan a lot of in-game benefits; namely the ability to take on gyms and raids by himself. For a lot of ‘Pokémon Go’ players in areas less populated with trainers, beating gyms and raids is difficult, since it is nigh-impossible to do them alone (aside from very low-tier raids, or gyms with few/weak Pokémon in them). As a retiree, San-yuan has plenty of time on his hands to play the game. The Pokémon Grandpa says that he plays ‘Pokémon Go’ 5-6 days a week, and sometimes, doesn’t pack it in until 4 in the morning. His hobby sets him back more than a thousand dollars a month, with $300 of that just from in-app purchases, but to him, it is money well spent.

When asked why he plays ‘Pokémon Go’ so much, San-yuan replied that he wants to find real-life ‘Pokémon Go’ pals through the game. Not a bad idea, considering making friends is one of the best parts about playing the augmented-reality game. San-yuan also says the game helps keep his mind sharp and staves off unfortunate health issues which commonly afflict older people, such as Alzheimer’s. This would not be the first time a senior has stated that a video game has helped keep his brain in prime shape.

If there was ever a gaming story that would make you feel good, this is it. Battle on, Pokémon Grandpa!