# Is it too late to start making games after 40?

> No. There is no maximum age for making games: what matters is having time every week and starting with a small game. Brendan Greene was 40 when he was hired to lead PUBG, and Masako Wakamiya released a mobile game after turning 80. Both are exceptions and neither used AI; today AI writes the code, but you are the one who decides what the game is.

Summary for when you're short on time

- Google Play requires you to be at least 18 to publish and has no maximum age; what matters after 40 is having free hours every week.
- Brendan Greene, born in 1976, was photographing events and building websites in Brazil in 2013; in 2016, at 40, a South Korean studio hired him to make PUBG.
- PUBG was made by a team that started with about 35 people and grew to 70, and it passed 70 million copies sold by July 2020, according to the company.
- Masako Wakamiya, a retired bank clerk from Japan, released a mobile game and was the oldest app creator at Apple's developer conference in 2017, at 82.
- In the Pesquisa Game Brasil 2026 survey, people aged 30 to 44 made up 33.7% of those who play, almost tied with the 16 to 29 group (36.5%).
- In a 2026 GDC report, older game professionals said they use generative AI at work more than younger ones: 46% versus 34%.
- The famous cases are exceptions and were made without AI; none of them proves you can make money.

Your first step: Write down on a sheet of paper three games that left a mark on your life and, next to each one, what made you want to play it again.

By Daniel Novi. Published October 16, 2026. Updated October 16, 2026. Address: https://www.gamearchitectsai.com/en/start-here/start-making-games-after-40

## Is it too late to start making games after 40?

No. Age is not an obstacle to making or publishing a game. Google Play, the Android app store, requires whoever opens a publishing account to be at least 18, and says nothing about an age limit[9]. What changes after 40 is free time, split between work, home, and family.

That is why the question that matters is how many hours a week you have, not how many years. With few hours, your first game needs to be small. With AI writing the code, the part that scared people who never programmed the most has gotten smaller, and the rest is still work: deciding what the game is, testing, and fixing.

The two stories below are about people who started late. Neither of them used AI, and both are exceptions. They are here to show that age did not close the door, not to promise the same result.

## Who started late and went far?

The best-known case is Brendan Greene, the creator of PUBG, a shooting game in which up to 100 people fight over an island. He is Irish and was born in March 1976[1].

In 2013, he was living in Brazil. He worked as an event photographer and built websites as a freelancer[1][2]. He had just gotten divorced and was saving money to be able to go back to Ireland, according to Olhar Digital, a Brazilian tech news site[2].

In his free time, he played a lot of a modification of another game, and he started making his own modifications, the way he wanted to play[1][2]. They became known among players. Because of that, Sony Online Entertainment hired him as a consultant to help build a similar game mode in one of its games[1][2].

In 2016, a South Korean studio hired him to make a whole game around that idea[1][3]. Going by his birth date, he was 40 (our math). The full version of PUBG came out in December 2017, when he was already 41[3].

The game passed 70 million copies sold on computers and consoles by July 2020, according to the company that made it[4].

## How do you play PUBG, and how many people made it?

Each match starts with up to 100 players parachuting from a plane onto an island[3]. Each one looks for weapons and gear around the map. The safe area shrinks over time, which pushes everyone closer together, and the last player or team left standing wins[3].

It hooks players because every match is different and only one wins: whoever almost won wants to try again (our take).

The limit of the story is that Greene did not make PUBG alone. Work began in early 2016 with a team of about 35 people, which grew to 70 by June 2017[3]. He led the concept and the rules of the game[3]. A game that size, with that team, is an exception at any age.

The story shows that he started by changing a game that already existed, close to 40, and that this is how he got to lead a game (our take).

## What does AI change for someone starting now?

None of this involved AI. PUBG is from 2017, before the AIs that write code from a request in plain English.

Today, AI does part of the work that used to take a team, based on what you describe: it writes the code, which is the game's commands, and creates art and sounds. That changes who can get started, because programming is no longer the first door. See [what it is like to make a game without knowing how to code](/en/start-here/make-a-game-without-coding).

What AI does not change is the amount of work in a big game. A game like PUBG is still enormous. What fits into the routine of someone with a job is a small game, made in parts, tested and fixed many times (our take).

## Has anyone started even later?

Yes. Masako Wakamiya worked at a bank in Japan and started using computers in the 1990s, after she retired[5]. At 82, in 2017, she had released Hinadan, a mobile game made for people over 60, and Apple invited her to its developer conference, where she was the oldest app creator[5].

The game is simple: the player arranges the dolls of a Japanese festival on the right steps[5]. By August 2017, it had about 42,000 downloads, according to AFP[5]. She did not use AI either, and the game only came out in 2017, many years after her first contact with a computer.

The full story, including how she learned and how the game works, is on the page about [Masako Wakamiya, the retiree who made a game after 80](/en/stories/masako-wakamiya).

## Do adults still play video games?

They do, and a lot. The Pesquisa Game Brasil 2026, a survey of game players in Brazil, heard from 7,115 people aged 16 to 55 between March 5 and 13, 2026, and 75.3% said they play digital games[6]. In 2025 it was 82.8%[6].

Among those who play, the 30 to 44 age group was 33.7%, almost tied with the 16 to 29 group, which was 36.5%[6]. The phone is the favorite device for 44.1%[6].

| Data point | Number | Source and date |
|---|---|---|
| People surveyed in Brazil, aged 16 to 55 | 7,115 | Pesquisa Game Brasil 2026, March 2026[6] |
| Said they play digital games | 75.3% (82.8% in 2025) | Pesquisa Game Brasil 2026[6] |
| Players aged 30 to 44 | 33.7% | Pesquisa Game Brasil 2026[6] |
| Players aged 16 to 29 | 36.5% | Pesquisa Game Brasil 2026[6] |
| Phone as favorite device | 44.1% | Pesquisa Game Brasil 2026[6] |
| Game professionals surveyed by GDC | more than 2,300 | GDC, January 2026[7] |
| Use of generative AI at work, older and younger | 46% and 34% | GDC, 2026 State of the Game Industry[8] |

The limit of this data: the survey measures who plays, not who makes games. It also did not hear from anyone over 55. Even so, it knocks down the idea that video games are for teenagers: people who are 40 today grew up with video games at home and, in large part, still play (our take).

## Do people who grew up playing have an advantage?

They have one, and it matters more now: knowing when a game hooks you (our take). Anyone who has played for decades has already felt the difference between a game that makes you want to play again and one that gets tiring in five minutes.

With AI writing the commands, that is the part that stays with you. The AI delivers what you asked for; saying whether it turned out good, whether it is too hard, or whether it lacks fun is the job of someone who plays (our take).

There is a curious data point about this. In GDC's 2026 report, a survey of more than 2,300 game professionals, older workers said they use generative AI at work more than younger ones: 46% versus 34%[7][8]. The report does not say where the line between "older" and "younger" falls, and 54% of respondents live in the United States[8]. So the number works as a signal, not as a rule.


An exercise that makes use of this advantage: write down three games that left a mark on your life and, next to each one, what made you want to play it again. This list is not a finished game, but it is raw material for your first one.


## What gets harder after 40?

Time, above all. People with a job, a home, and a family rarely have a whole free afternoon, and the game moves forward in chunks of one or two hours (our take). That does not stop you, but it changes the size of the game that fits into your week.

Patience with what goes wrong also matters. The AI makes mistakes, the game breaks, and fixing things is part of the work. People who expect fast results tend to give up halfway (our take). For a realistic idea of the timeline, see [how long it takes to make your first game with AI](/en/start-here/how-long-does-it-take-to-make-a-game).

And comparing yourself with famous cases weighs on you too. Greene got to his game with a team of dozens of people, and whoever only sees the result forgets the years and the team behind it. The page about [famous games that started small](/en/stories/famous-games-that-started-small) tells how each one began and why they are exceptions.

**The other side.** The cases on this page are exceptions, and none was made with AI. Greene had a whole studio behind PUBG, and Masako released her game many years after she started using computers. Starting after 40 is possible, but it does not get easy: time is short, the AI makes mistakes, and even a small game takes time to finish. Making the game also does not guarantee that anyone will play it, and no one can promise you will make money from it.

## Where do you start after 40?

With a small game and with how much time you really have. Before opening any program, write down the idea of the game and decide its size. The step-by-step for this first stage is in [how to start making a game](/en/start-here/how-to-start-making-a-game).

## Your action plan

- [ ] Write down three games that left a mark on your life and what made you want to play them again.
- [ ] Count how many free hours you have per week, being honest about your routine.
- [ ] Choose a small type of game that fits into those hours in a few months.
- [ ] Write the idea of your game in three sentences: what the player does, how they win, and why they would play again.
- [ ] Read the story of someone who started late, like Masako Wakamiya's.
- [ ] Set a fixed time each week for the game, even if it is short.
- [ ] Take the next step only once the idea is written down.

## Related questions

### Is there a right age to start making games?

No. Google Play requires you to be at least 18 to open a publishing account and says nothing about a maximum age. What changes with age is free time, which is why your first game needs to be small.

### How old was PUBG's creator when the game came out?

Brendan Greene was born in March 1976, according to Wikipedia. He was 40 when he was hired to make the game, in 2016, and 41 when the full version came out, in December 2017 (our math).

### Did PUBG's creator make the game alone?

No. He made, on his own, the modifications of other games that made him known. PUBG was made by a South Korean studio, with a team that started with about 35 people and grew to 70, with him leading the concept and the rules of the game.

### Was PUBG made with artificial intelligence?

No. The game came out in 2017, before the AIs that write code from a request in plain English. The story shows you can go far starting late, not that AI makes a game of that size.

### Who is the oldest person to make a game?

There is no official record. The best-known case is Masako Wakamiya, a retired bank clerk from Japan who released Hinadan, a mobile game for people over 60, and was the oldest creator at Apple's developer conference in 2017, at 82.

### Do 40-year-old adults still play video games?

They do. In the Pesquisa Game Brasil 2026 survey, which heard from 7,115 people in Brazil aged 16 to 55, people aged 30 to 44 made up 33.7% of those who play. The survey measures who plays, not who makes games.

### Do I need to learn to code after 40 to make a game?

It is no longer the only way in. Today AI writes the code from what you describe, and you decide, test, and ask for fixes. It is still work: the AI makes mistakes, and you are the one who says whether the game turned out good.

## Sources

1. Wikipedia, "Brendan Greene": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendan_Greene (accessed October 15, 2026)
2. Olhar Digital, "Brendan Greene: o criador do PUBG viveu no Brasil" (May 2, 2026): https://olhardigital.com.br/2026/05/02/games-e-consoles/brendan-greene-o-criador-do-pubg-viveu-no-brasil-e-voce-nao-sabia/ (accessed October 15, 2026)
3. Wikipedia, "PUBG: Battlegrounds": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PUBG:_Battlegrounds (accessed October 15, 2026)
4. PC Games Insider, "PUBG has sold over 70m copies" (July 15, 2020): https://www.pcgamesinsider.biz/news/71365/pubg-has-sold-over-70m-copies/ (accessed October 15, 2026)
5. AFP, via The Jakarta Post, "Never too old to code: Meet Japan's 82-year-old app-maker" (August 7, 2017): https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2017/08/07/never-too-old-to-code-meet-japans-82-year-old-app-maker (accessed October 15, 2026)
6. Meio & Mensagem, on the Pesquisa Game Brasil 2026 survey: https://www.meioemensagem.com.br/marketing/apos-pico-numero-de-jogadores-brasileiros-cai-segundo-pgb (accessed October 15, 2026)
7. GDC, announcement of the 2026 State of the Game Industry: https://gdconf.com/article/gdc-2026-state-of-the-game-industry-reveals-impact-of-layoffs-generative-ai-and-more/ (accessed October 15, 2026)
8. GDC, 2026 State of the Game Industry, full report (copy on InvestGame): https://investgame.net/news/pdf/2026-01-29-dec052f4_d88e_48ce_9f83_a18ce2f2a6e5_541400_gdc26_pdf_soti_report/ (accessed October 15, 2026)
9. Google Play Console Help: registration fee and verification: https://support.google.com/googleplay/android-developer/answer/6112435?hl=en (accessed October 15, 2026)