The visualization aspect of working on game related projects definitely adds to the motivation to learn. Instead of a game engine, I got my start in a less legal/savory area: botting. MMORPGs like Runescape and WoW were huge when I was a teen. Obviously I joined the botting communities to get some relief from the grind-playstyle that is involved in that type of game; but eventually I was writing code just because it was so satisfying to watch something I created work.