Hi!
Soon I’ll have my little nephew (13) in my company to check out software development for a week.
I’m working with large industry machines in real time Linux systems, so obviously I’d show him my test machine and if the customer agrees, I can show him some robots as well.
Also, he will get some crash course in computer basics.
He is an avid gamer - although not really good with computers.
I’ve gifted him a still nice laptop with Linux and Steam installed 1-2 years ago and he happily played Minecraft, but after some time he went back to his Switch 2.
Now he uses my Steam Deck - although that doesn’t make that much of a difference…
I’d like to give him something fun as an exercise, that’s is early rewarding.
Perfect would be, if he could code himself a little computer game, but that’s completely out of my normal work stuff and I don’t know what good options are available.
I guess starting with C++ and an Unreal engine or similar is more than an overkill.
Is there something, that is teaching the basics and gives rather quick rewards, which can produce a little something after 2-3 days?
Thank you all in advance!
!learn_programming@programming.dev might help you too.
Honestly, I started with a specific goal that I somehow lucked out into it being a relatively simple script with iMacros of all things, and that was my introduction to the whole if/then control flow loop basics. (Yes, it recorded my stuff, but I had to go in and alter it and mess around a lot.) And I messed around with Scratch at the same time too. I really think this helped my actual Baby’s First Program go down more easily in my first computer science class in college. (First language due to college was Racket, second was Java, third was C, I think this is fine.)
Making very simple video game mods might help too, with modding communities that have loads of documentation and “where do I start?” resources.
Thanks for that!