He might want to do some research on the game industry first. From most of what I've heard game development tends to chew up talent quickly. Schedules are usually extremely tight ("WE MUST SHIP BY NOVEMBER TO MAKE IT TO THE STORES FOR HOLIDAY SHOPPERS! CODE FASTER, PEON!"), and the pay for rank-and-file programmers isn't that great compared to other industries (I'm fuzzy on this, but I seem to recall seeing a salary survey to this effect). Just remember for every Sid Meyer or Peter Molyneux there's lots of people you'll never hear of (or see work from again).

And just to clarify: I'm not saying "OMGWTFBBQ DON'T DO IT!" and trying to scare him off, just that he should be aware that the image he has in his head may not line up with reality. He should put aside any preconceived notions and make an informed decision. Game Developer Magazine occasionally has articles about the industry as a whole that may be of interest; in fact the May 06 issue has an article on breaking into the industry (I unfortunately let my free subscription I'd wheedled lapse so I can't comment on that article :).