In terms of "games as an entry into programming": The first-person shooter Starseige:Tribes (1998) had strong scripting support for both server-side gameplay mo

In terms of "games as an entry into programming": The first-person shooter Starseige:Tribes (1998) had strong scripting support for both server-side gameplay mods and for client-side conveniences. For example, many gameplay mods allowed players to dynamically place new entities (walls, platforms, turrets), and if your team was too competent and you got bored guarding the flag you put on an a client-side script to play Tetris in a custom HUD.