Game motif programming exercises (GM-Games) were developed to help novices develop complex client server game systems within their freshman year.GM-Games foster a strong work ethic in as much as they reproduce the challenges savage audio and excitement associated with game play; yet their purpose is the development of advanced programming skills.We have found that young people are just as interested in mastering programming skills as they are in mastering the shooting, racing or cottonmouth 3.5 high shirt strategy skills required in many entertainment games.We describe in this paper how GM-Games imitate many of the aspects of game play.