I've got to agree with this. Modding a game he already plays or would be interested in playing is going to have quicker gratification than learning the low-end coding side of games. Something like Blender (http://www.blender.org/), that lets you learn 3D modeling and texturing, is going to be more interesting (for most people) than learning functors and vector math right out of the gate.

I'll bet it's a Tuesday. Nothing good ever happens on a Tuesday.