I was surprised to see no mention of game development as what drew one into coding. Half the cats I've worked with got bit by the programming bug initially wanting to make games.
I say this because the cohort you describe will have started playing games at a younger age, and would have self selected itself out of this survey by venturing into small time game development on their own at an age younger than the survey respondent demographic.
So did creating games pull me into programming? Hmm, kind of, after another avenue failed. But I certainly recognize what you mean, I also know many people who'd love to make games full time (and some do! Just not all, not enough demand).
what does `cats` mean in this context? maybe a cultural thing.