Google Sketchup makes an easy to use character and level editor. E.g. see it as an RAD for game development.

But even as an game engine it is capable enough, although you need to use 'accelerated' plugins for that like sketchy physics. Bear in mind that google sketchup was never developed to be a game engine. And yet i feel it can beat some 3D engines. But a game like Little Big Planet can be made within it.

Ruby is a very nice clean language. Easy to program and yet powerfull.

Also somewhere on this forum i made a posting sometime ago on using delphi together with ruby and sketchup.