Question

I’ve got a young nephew who aspires to grow up to be a game programmer and i’d like to introduce him to the world of open-source as well as get him a sweet gift.

Anything like that out there?

Answer 1

Well, this is a tricky question because we don’t know the level your nephew is at, nevermind the fact that it’s difficult to produce a very nice showy game without a lot more work than a beginner might put forth.

X Game Station

Nevertheless, André LaMothe’s X Game Station is meant to be exactly the system you’re asking for – a beginner’s guide and system on how to develop complex programs with interactive elements and gameplay on resource limited hardware. Which is pretty much what a game designer is called on to do.

GP32

The GP32 was also meant to fill this gap, but with a much more powerful processor. The successor was never released, and the company went bankrupt shortly after, but you may still be able to find one on ebay or within the communities that developed around the original machine.

Google Android

You might also consider looking toward the Google Android platform. Cell phone gaming is now and will be one of the biggest platforms in the future. The android isn’t set up perfectly for gaming, but it’s a good first approximation, isn’t horribly expensive and includes a robust development toolset for a high-end mobile processor. Several big name game development companies have already pledged support for this platform, so it will also look good on a resume.

But a cheap computer and a VGA graphics book is surprisingly fun as a kid…

-Adam