82-year-old Japanese self-taught developer has released a mobile game

An 82-year-old Japanese woman has developed and released a mobile game called Hinadan for the App Store.

“Elderly people do not play modern games because they are not interested in them. I decided to create a project that they would be interested in playing,” Masako explained in an interview with the BBC Wakamiya (Masako Wakamiya).

She repeatedly appealed to various developers to make a project focused on the elderly, but no one responded to her call. As a result, Masako decided to make a similar project on her own.

It took Masako six months to create the project. She taught herself how to program and work with development tools from books.

The project is inspired by the traditional Japanese doll festival Hinamatsuri (Doll Day). In the game, users decorate dolls and rearrange them for the holiday.

Before retiring, Masako worked in a bank. In recent years, she has been promoting high technology among people of her age.

Sources: BBC, CNN, PocketGamer