When I think of programming board-games, I immediately think of RoboRally: http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/18/roborally http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1

When I think of programming board-games, I immediately think of RoboRally: http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/18/roborally http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/18/roborally While it doesn't necessarily teach you skills that would be practical in the real world, it's a ton of fun, and all the programmers I know that have played it have really enjoyed it.