I'm surprised that only a handful comments mention encouraging game modding. Modding is advantageous because the feedback is often immediate and tangible -- sm

I'm surprised that only a handful comments mention encouraging game modding. Modding is advantageous because the feedback is often immediate and tangible -- small changes can result in appreciable results to a game world. Working with game APIs, assets, and scripting is rarely elegant or academically pure, but the reward of accomplishing a successful mod produce a good incentive to learn real-world 'ugly' APIs. These are the sorts of systems that most people in tech have to interface with every day. By being introduced to these real-world systems early on, there is no jarring transition when arriving from a more learning-based environment.