Oh, first Visual Studio Python integration and now this. I really have no excuse not to learn Python. Honestly, I've been meaning to learn it for a while, but Haskell sucked out all of my "goofing around with programming" time and I'll be damned if I didn't enjoy it.

Time to put the "rapid prototyping" claim to the ultimate test, I guess. Even better, I have no idea what I'll be prototyping - just going to wing it all the way through. It should prove interesting.

I'm in! Never participated in anything like this but i like the idea of having a time constraint on hands (i get lost without one). Don't know much about python, don't have much free time (Classes are just starting for me) but i think in one week i can hack something together.

Same here. Never did any python but 1 week sounds enough to learn while doing something fun.

I have to manage to install pygame first though... Seems to be the lib of choice to make SDL games.

pygame seems the best choice for starters, in the about/rules page they mention this http://www.pygame.org/wiki/CookBook ,seems really handy

If you're in the SF East Bay, I conduct a 'learn to program python' class at the local hackerspace, Ace Monster Toys (http://acemonstertoys.org/). It's mostly geared towards beginners, but in anticipation of pyweek, I'm switching gears and focusing on gamedev starting this Tuesday. Very likely, I'll hold evening code sessions as many times as possible during the actual competition.

I encourage you to come on by if you want guidance on tools, techniques or libraries. Even if you just want to meet up to try to form teams, or to jam on some code with some cool people, everyone is more than welcome, especially beginners. http://www.meetup.com/Ace-Monster-Toys/events/32143952/

I have no programming talent (nor money). So if anyone wants to create a "zero player" like game (see, for example, progress quest) but for simulation racing games it'd be awesome. Imagine the tinkering fun of Forza or Gran Turismo, but without all the time drain of actually doing any of the upgrading. Or racing. Or licence tests. Or car buying.

I learned the basics of Python, object oriented programming, and SDL by participating in PyWeek and asking lots of newbie questions on IRC. It's definitely possible for you to make something from a cold start if you drop an hour or two a day on it.

For anyone new to writing games with Python, this tutorial might help get you started:

http://ezide.com/games/writing-games.html

It uses MVC to design a game engine with PyGame and Twisted. Definitely helps point you in the right direction.