Where do gamers go after they turn 35?

The age of 35 is widely regarded as a major hurdle for people in the domestic gaming industry.

Much like in the tech industry, people in the gaming industry need to work hard and climb the ranks before they turn 35, hoping to secure a management position or reach a role where they’re hard to replace before their age becomes a liability. Otherwise, as they get older and their physical stamina declines, they’re likely to be the first to be let go.

With the rapid advancement of technology, certain established practices no longer work and have even become a hindrance, giving newcomers more opportunities to leapfrog the competition; the industry craves growth, and the next generation of users is often the source of that growth. After reaching a certain age, it’s hard for game developers not to question themselves: “Can I still stay attuned to the needs of the next generation of users?” All of this seems to contribute to a sense of age-related anxiety.

However, as the years have passed, China’s gaming industry has transitioned from a golden age of rapid, unregulated growth to a phase requiring meticulous attention to detail. An increasing number of projects now rely on visionary, experienced, and hands-on key personnel to lead the way, and even highly specialized roles have their own established methodologies, making the value of veteran employees increasingly evident.

Let’s turn our attention overseas. Some media outlets have reported that *The Legend of Zelda* was developed by a team with an average age of 55; as of last year, the average age of full-time employees at Nintendo’s Japanese headquarters was 40.2, with an average tenure of 13.9 years; not to mention that Shigeru Miyamoto, born in 1952, is still at the helm of Nintendo.

For many people, spending their entire lives in the gaming industry might be a luxury (or perhaps a torment), but it’s certainly not impossible. In this episode of the Game Tea Roundtable, we spoke with industry professionals about the question: “Where do game developers go after they turn 35?”

▍Chervsky, a veteran game operations specialist

There are just five areas:

1. I’m still at a mid-sized game company (the smaller ones have gone under), but my role may shift from a purely operational position to a managerial role where I’ll be the one taking the heat—a position that requires experience and well-rounded skills.
2. Whether you’re leveraging years of accumulated expertise to take the lead on projects, seeking greater creative autonomy and earning potential, or navigating the ups and downs of entrepreneurship or intrapreneurship—whether you’re treading cautiously or riding high on success—
3. Switching industries and applying the skills gained in the gaming industry—such as programming, project management, and art design—to other fields… As for whether this will be a “dimension-lowering strike” or a “dimension-lowering blow”… we’ll see.
4. There are countless side hustles and alternative ways to make money; by not completely stepping away from the gaming community, you can leverage your expertise and flexible schedule to generate income.
5. Dead, or in jail.

Of course, when it comes to all these side hustles and alternative paths, what are some reliable options for us gamers looking to switch careers or start a side business after turning 35?

1. Paid Content and Education
2. The key here is to capitalize on the anxieties of the middle class and middle-aged people, craft content around these themes, and build a personal brand to attract an audience.
3. Independent game development/contribution
4. The key here is to familiarize yourself with the discounts and free food offers in Fangyuan 5 to make sure you don’t starve.
5. Gaming Services (Power-leveling/Play Companion)
6. Leverage your deep understanding of the game and, if applicable, your advanced skills to pose as a younger player or someone with a specific XP level to offer game boosting or companion play services.

More importantly: Start small, validate quickly, let go of your pride, and achieve greatness once again.

▍Huang Jun, Lead Developer of "Magic Cat" at Duyu:

Most of them have switched careers; I rarely see people over that age working at game companies. For one thing, as they get older, they’re not as quick as they used to be and find it hard to pull all-nighters. For another, as their salaries rise, they tend to get laid off, and new employers generally prefer younger candidates.

In the gaming industry, unless you're in a management role, practical game development experience is largely useless. For artists and designers, their competitive edge diminishes with age. There isn't much difference between an artist with two years of experience and one with ten, but there's a huge gap in their ability to handle overtime and their salaries. Plus, with AI on the rise, it's becoming increasingly difficult for artists to succeed without learning AI, so they have to keep up by self-studying.Programmers can stay in the field a bit longer, but they’re also facing the impact of AI, and the demand for human labor is clearly shrinking. At this point, only senior management positions are likely to be flexible about age, but roles like Lead Artist or Lead Programmer are in high demand with very few openings.

Forget 35—I’m well past 45, and I’m developing games all by myself, handling art, design, and programming all on my own. I have no choice but to keep doing this; I’ve spent my whole life making games, and if I stopped, I wouldn’t know how to do anything else. Thinking back to those colleagues who were older than me when I first entered the industry 20 years ago, they’ve all but vanished now—I have no idea what became of them. I hope they’re doing well.

▍A Zhihu user who wishes to remain anonymous

Here’s what I say: I’ll show you how to become a ride-hailing driver—which might actually be more valuable than the question itself. The good news is that while 35 may be the cutoff age for most office jobs, anyone between the ages of 18 and 57 has the chance to become a proud ride-hailing driver.

For gamers over 35 who have led relatively unhealthy lifestyles for a long time, dedicated delivery jobs can be physically demanding and inflexible, posing a certain challenge to one’s health. I recommend that you consider becoming a ride-hailing driver instead. Thanks to the growth of the platform economy, there are now numerous platforms to choose from, allowing you to select one based on the specific business conditions in your area.

Once you’ve chosen a platform, download the corresponding app, follow the instructions to upload your ID card, photo, and health certificate, complete the facial verification, and then take the online exam arranged by the platform. Be sure to look up the answers in advance.

While health certificates may not be something we use very often, the process is actually quite simple: just gather the required documents, go to a hospital for a medical examination, and wait 3–7 business days.

Once you’ve completed the steps above and passed the platform’s review, you’ll be ready to start accepting orders. Let’s get started!

Finally, please note that on any platform, ride-hailing drivers are generally required to provide their own equipment, so please make sure you have the following basic gear:

• Transportation: An electric vehicle with sufficient range is the best choice. Remember to modify it to remove the speed limiter.
• Takeout containers: Used to keep food at the right temperature; they should be large enough
• Smartphone and mount: The mount ensures safe navigation while riding; the phone should be waterproof or carried in a waterproof case
• Safety gear: Helmets are required, and we recommend bringing a raincoat just in case.

Of course, being a delivery rider is pretty exhausting, so everyone should take good care of their health before turning 35—that way, you’ll have more options and can live a life without limits!

▍“Gamers with Attitude” Streamer: Dasheng

Born in 1985, he’s 40 this year and still working on the front lines of an overseas publishing project. My “+1” is 50 and still managing business lines and teams on the front lines.

Several of our other streamers are already in their 40s, yet they’re still on the front lines leading projects and teams. Even those in management roles are still involved in production on the ground. That’s just how the gaming industry works—being unskilled is a cardinal sin. You have to keep learning and moving forward at all times if you want to survive in this industry.

But today, this industry is becoming increasingly hostile to ordinary people; only the top players and the big players get the lion’s share. But what can you do? If you can’t maintain a consistent stream of high-quality output at the top level, you’ll be weeded out. Some people are simply born for this line of work; no matter how old they get, they can still maintain a strong creative drive and motivation, so they’ll be able to keep going.

▍Introverted:

I’m not quite 35 yet, but since I’m almost 35, I’ll go ahead and answer anyway.

To be honest, I guess you could say I completely left the mainstream gaming industry before I even turned 30. It wasn’t for health reasons; it’s just that anyone who’s spent nearly a decade in the mainstream knows that if you stay long enough, you either end up in a management role—navigating the corporate world with masterful social skills—or switch to a technical role and become a “work pro.” But these days, in Chinese companies, not many people have managed to pull that off.So, as an introverted person who isn’t very articulate, I couldn’t climb the ladder in the former path, and there weren’t suitable roles for me in the latter. I wasn’t happy working in the mainstream industry anyway, so I took the initiative to leave a publicly listed company that everyone considered to have great potential and a bright future—before my thyroid nodules turned malignant from all the stress.

After messing around at home for a while, I realized I just didn’t like big tech companies—the backstabbing and political maneuvering there is a bit too much for a hardcore gamer like me. But I still love games to death, so I went out on my own and started a company that publishes buy-to-play games. You could call it a startup, but really, it’s just a handful of us going back and forth, making enough to cover health insurance and my parents’ retirement. Still, at least during my last physical, the nodule was gone—that’s a huge win.

I’ve also met quite a few people in the gaming industry who are over 35. There’s this operations manager from the company I worked at when I first started out—after leaving the gaming company, he became a toy distributor, selling models, blind boxes, and other toys. In his view, there isn’t much difference between this line of work and making games; in both cases, you make people happy first, and then make money.

So, in my view, if you’re the kind of person who finds joy in others’ happiness and entered the gaming industry for that reason, then even if you leave this industry, you’ll surely find fulfilling work in society.As for the issues of mortgages, car loans, and tuition fees—which are bound to come up in this Q&A—I can only say that I haven’t been burdened by them yet, so I won’t make any bold claims. I just hope that every veteran over the age of 35 doesn’t lose that youthful spirit they had when they first entered the industry.

▍Summer, Solo Traveler Producer in Chengdu:

By this point, I had actually quit my job and had been working full-time as an indie game developer for several years. However, I had hit a few roadblocks during this phase. For instance, my lack of experience in developing and publishing early indie projects meant I couldn’t sustain the development of my next project. At the time, I was still living in Shanghai, and the pressures of daily life, combined with the frustration of seeing my passion struggle to gain traction, left me in a very low spirits.

One day, it suddenly clicked: I decided to leave the big city where I’d lived and worked for years and move to a place with less pressure to make ends meet—a place where I could immerse myself in the everyday vibrancy of life while continuing to work on the indie games I’m passionate about. My friends have been incredibly supportive, both emotionally and financially!

And so, I spent the years around my 35th birthday in a city that, while brimming with the vibrancy of everyday life, also met all the needs of young people accustomed to life in a major metropolis—that city was Chengdu. During those years, my friends and I created new indie games, made new friends among local developers, and even learned how to chat and catch up over a cup of tea.

▍Old Zhang, HR at a certain company

Personally, I don’t see 35 as a cutoff age. Take our company as an example: we currently have quite a few employees over 35 who joined through open recruitment, and many of our long-time employees are still making valuable contributions to our projects.

The key question is: Have you developed any useful methodologies through your past work experience? Often, these methodologies aren’t about management but rather about execution. With small teams becoming increasingly common in today’s market, management experience gained in large corporations may not always be applicable. Moreover, young professionals today tend to be highly self-motivated, so we place greater emphasis on the ability to work independently.

Of course, there is also anxiety about age, especially now that AI capabilities are constantly improving, creating a palpable sense of unease in many professions. For example, with the emergence of Sora, creative planners and video designers are likely to feel particularly anxious. When disruptive technologies like AI emerge, much of what we’ve learned becomes obsolete—much like during the Industrial Revolution: no matter how hard you work, the times are changing so rapidly that you simply can’t keep up.

After discussing this with my teammates, we’ve come to the conclusion that the people who ultimately succeed are those who possess a certain drive. This doesn’t mean working overtime every day, but rather maintaining high standards for one’s work and striving for continuous improvement—even when resources remain unchanged. Therefore, turning 35 shouldn’t be seen as a barrier; instead, it should serve as a reminder to ask: Where do my core competitive advantages lie? And how can I continue to compete effectively in this saturated market?

▍Teacher Zeng of the "Nonsense Game"

There are many other similar issues. For example:

1. Where do programmers go after they turn 40?
2. Where do entrepreneurs go after their startups fail?
3. Where do all the beautiful women and handsome men go after they turn 25?

This matter needs to be considered separately.

Just as men remain young at heart until the day they die, and beautiful women are forever 18, true gamers are forever young.

Those who truly love a game will keep loving it forever. Even 23 years later, there are still gamers in the open-source community who are driven by their passion for *Doom*. We also see echoes of *StarCraft*, *Empire*, and *Dinosaur Strike* in the ad creatives for mobile games. While the audience for these games has aged, gaming platforms have shifted from niche consoles, handhelds, and PCs to mobile devices, which reach a much broader audience.

When I first started out, I had a friend who handled everything from front-end and back-end development to game design. He’s been working in the gaming industry ever since—experiencing both successes and failures, but never straying far from the field.

There are also some who benefited from the mobile gaming boom a decade ago and have since made their fortune and started investing.

One of my friends who’s a front-end developer caught the wave and joined a new energy vehicle company to work on in-car infotainment system front-end rendering, while another friend who’s a back-end developer left the industry disheartened after failing in the gaming industry.

Many others, however, bounce around from one game company to another, looking for different opportunities—just like most working stiffs, forced to choose between a stupid boss and being stupid themselves.

Another group of die-hard entrepreneurs (myself included) has been building businesses in the gaming industry, relishing both the joys and the pains of gacha mechanics. We take the profits from one product and pour them all into the next, finding endless satisfaction in this rather unusual cycle.

There’s also a group of eccentric game developers who use the cash they’ve painstakingly earned in other industries to keep filling in the gaps on the path to creating truly great games.

Ah! True gamers are always on the go.