This sounds just so super awesome. The programmer's dream - automate any and all tedious tasks! And it's got space stuff as a bonus.
I'd like to suggest this game to friends or family, but I don't know how to "sell" it to them. I mean, if I mention that they can learn programming while playing it, I don't think that's gonna motivate them or pique their interest. Quite the opposite. Deliberate learning is not why they play games. In my view, if there is no mention of programming and the game is presented as a fun cool thing with robots and space stuff, and the programming just sneaks in at some point, they will be much more interested. They can start learning without knowing that they are learning. Because, unfortunately, most people have already learned (from years of schooling) that learning is boring and tedious and hard, and definitely not the way to relax and have fun.
So do you know of anything (a video or other) that presents this game like a fun thing without any mention of programming? And do you think it could be effectively advertised in such a way?
Good question! :) I sadly don't know any videos like that. As for selling the game like that to people, without mentioning the programming, maybe. It was sold like any other game in a DVD box in stores after all, in the games section not in the software/education section. It's been a decade or so since I played through the main story campaign, so I don't remember it all to well. I have to play it again some time, it was really fun and you do something new all the time to keep you interested. In one level you have to fly through hoops with a remote controlled robot for example, in another you have to wade through swamps and try to not get caught by the alien bugs. I think the story campaign started really slowly with the programming and no programming in the first few levels at all, so it could work. Worth a try.
There are some other games with programming elements too but I don't remember their names right now. I should do some research when I find the time and write an article about those to give an overview, maybe one of those would be better suited as a start before moving on to Colobot.