You always thought that computer programming is only for young people, but a woman in Japan has just proved it as a myth. The name of this great lady is ‘Masako Wakamiya.’ She is 81 years old and learned programming from scratch to develop and publish her first mobile game. You will see news about her and a video on YouTube where she explained how she was able to accomplish this task in an event in Tokyo. Keep reading this Blog for such interesting stories related to technology and innovation. The freelance websites are providing more opportunities along with the stories.

Preparations

Wakamiya took six months to study programming, and during this time, she was regularly in contact with her teacher. She has produced her first App after these preparations, study, and hard work with a name ‘Hinadan.’ The game development is for the Apple phones. She has spent last two years in learning a lot about computers, mobiles, and technology, post her retirement from the bank job. Twenty years of learning after the age of ‘60’ is not an easy job!

Background of this Game

In Japan, 3rd March every year is celebrated as Girl’s day (known by name Hinamatsuri in Japan), and that was a perfect occasion for publishing this game. Masako honoured the tradition of this day with her iOS App that will be useful to teach people the proper way of staging their doll displays for the festival. It is like a grandmother telling a tradition or a story to the grandchildren using a mobile App.

What is this Hinadan Game?

The name of the game Hindan is a combination of hina, which means a doll and dan means tier. So it teaches players to place the 12 dolls in their correct position on a four-tier decorated display. The arrangement of dolls is celebrated in by decorating the display stands with various nicely dressed dolls in the ‘Heian-era’ clothing. When you arrange all dolls properly, the game gets over. A simple concept which teaches a tradition to the young children using the most modern technology of today.

When you arrange a doll in the right position, you hear a noise if positioned properly; and a buzzer sounds if positioned incorrectly. The game is a combination of teaching a Japanese tradition, passing on the knowledge of festival to next generations and entertainment also.

You are very likely to play the game outside of Japan and may not have any clue about the tradition. In this case, you have a voice guidance available, and once you arrange the dolls properly, you can see a ‘congratulations’ message. Within such a small game, you can experience all aspects of a great user experience.

Where do you get this Game?

The Hinadan game is available as a free download from the Apple store.

Learning has no Age Limit

Wakamiya learned how to use a computer when she was 60 years old. At 81, she has released her first mobile App, and it is a great inspiration for all fathers, mothers, and grandparents.  She bought her first computer at 60 and also joined an online computer club.

Interestingly, the lady has not stopped with this game App development, but she has a blog where she teaches people to use Excel to make digital art. She has mastered this art, and she is likely to develop new Apps on her innovations. She also shares the clips of her travel on this blog. Before learning computers, she spent 43 years of her life in a leading bank in Japan.

Have you seen other people who learn technology and new things in the changing world at any age? These senior people adapt a never ending learning style in their life and Wakamiya is representing all such people throughout the world.

ICT Evangelist

It is interesting to watch her ‘dubbed’ video where she introduces herself as ICT (Information, Communication, and Technology) Evangelist and also explains what it means. She has given a strong message that all older adults are not afraid of technology and if they decide to learn it, they can even master it.

Use of Technology

The world of digital learning, distribution and emerging easy programming languages are helping everyone of any age. When the world is talking about easy languages for children, Wakamiya has shown that the easiness and technology revolution can be used by grandparents also! Using Swift, she was able to create her first programming project, and it is a credit for herself as well as all the support system also. Her story and App is viral with a strong positive message. She has taken advantage of Cupertino and Apple programming language to support her idea.

Festival for Girls

Traditionally this was only a festival of dolls but this anniversary was special. Everyone will remember it going forward because of this new Hindan game. The red carpet and ornamental dolls representing the Emperor, the Empress and the other characters are now going to be available throughout the year.

The software also provides relevant information for this event, as well as short passages to tell you the story of these events of the Heian period. Wakamiya is an artist working on Art Excel, creating paintings by colouring each cell of the Excel spreadsheet. She turned herself into a developer and is also known for delivering motivating speeches.

Summary:

The Japanese tradition of Girl’s day also has a superstition that leaving the dolls on display past the 4th of March is unlucky. Japanese believe that this will result in the household’s daughter marrying late. It is not going to affect anyone in Masako’s doll game, and anyone can enjoy the simple game without real dollsJ. The young girls are going to love it and appreciate it. The whole world has appreciated efforts of Masako Wakamiya, and we wish for her long life and would love to see more such games developed by her. Keep enjoying freelance tips and keep learning new technology in line with your career goals.

Kitty Gupta
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