The 1% vs the other 99% RAGE

Alright, have you heard of this crap? South Park did a whole episode on it. It is said that most of the world's money is keep getting sucked up by the richest 1% of the population which causes a lot of economic issues for the rest of the world (or 99%). A whole lot of people started writing spiels on a piece of paper about how horrible the system is treating them and take a picture of themselves holding it up.


I first off saying that I think this person is severely misinformed about Wal-Mart, Microsoft and Bias media controls everything. Not to mention that this hipster probably hangs out at Starbucks... With that thought aside, I like this idea if people just weren't so dumb going about it. They make excuses and blame the CEO's of major corporations for the shit they have to deal with every day. There are also some raging on how much debt they owe from their college loans. This has to stop people... please just put the paper down and sit for a second. Just sit down and think about your life for a second. You are the consumer. You demanded products, you shopped at Wal-mart, you watch the watered-down and fear spreading news channels along with Jersey Shore. You gave into the thousands of advertisements and beckoning of these so called evil corporations that do nothing but meet the demands of the public, your demands. You made the 1% along with your parents and grandparents. Let me tell you a secret...

Holding a stupid damn piece of paper up with your whiny, hypocritical bullshit isn't going to solve anything.

You think the 1% gives a flying piece of crap about you? They don't care. They never did and they never will. All they need is to keep everyone else consuming. Consuming like roaches and fungus just to keep their big fat wallets even fatter. After poking around in the dark, these people realize that the 99% are getting angry, they are getting pissed off. We all know what they are up to and we are starting to speak out. But it's too late. The shitty politicians we are forced to choose between are no better than any of the scumbags that line their pockets with dirty money. Your money. Taxes, pensions, health care, social security. It's all stolen from us and we will never get it back. Life sucks here, but thank God it's short. There is only just so little things we can do.

Shut up, move on, find another way. No one forced you to go to college, no one forced you to have kids that you can't afford, no one forced you to buy a television and fill your head full of useless crap... No one forced you to buy a bunch of shit all in the name of Jesus's freakin birthday that no one needs and certainly no one forced you to acculmate a load of crap in your house. MP3 players, DVD's, Blu Ray, Cable, mini fridges, xboxes, ps3s, wiis, computers, children's toys (they don't need 5 million toys), adult toys, movie tickets, junk food, restaurants, alcohol, drugs, the latest cell phones, electronic devices that can give blow jobs or something, pet fish (at least a dog can be put to work and a cat can keep vermin away, fish are absolutely meaningless). Adopt a minimalist lifestyle, buy locally, recycle, grow a garden, go to a local bank and/or credit union, turn off the television. Too much work? Too enclosed in your little comfortable bubble? Then don't complain...

Holy Shitake....

Okay so my drawing challenge pretty much failed... but I reframed from StumbleUpon and Facebook! WOO HOOO!!!! No worries though, I'm drawing a lot more often. You can visit my deviant art account at www.supakunoichi.deviantart.com if you like! Here is a character design I've recently made:



Some recent news in the works is that I've gotten a coloring and lettering gig for a comic book! YAY! I'm still looking for some freelance work so if anyone would like a design on something or whatever you can always contact me. I'd also like to point out that I will be developing a website soon for all my nerdy friends to help out in! Stay tuned for further progression in my works.

Thoughts of the day: Through persistent research and work, one can achieve something great. Everyone seems to know this, though tools for motivation and dedication can effect the production of our lives and the progress of our pursuits.

Drawing Challenge: Day 3

Day 3: Favorite Food

This one was a little hard for me to decide. But after much consideration I believe that sushi is my favorite food of all time. Itadakimasu!!! Oishi!!!


I wanted to make it interesting than a boring drawing of a sushi roll... anyways. It's spicy tuna roll with soy sauce.

The World's Best Music (from my perspective)

Music of the World:
Have you ever fought with your friends and family with their different tastes in music? This band is the best or this singer is better? Perhaps or perhaps not. A lot of people usually stick with one genre of music that is usually only born in their language or country. However, I enjoy music from all over the world. Few people every venture off into new languages as far as music but they are so missing out! Each culture has a unique touch in their music and it is a pleasure to experience it first hand. Here are a few samples of the best music on earth.


Rap,Hip-hop/Jazz/Blues:
Born and raised in roots of African American culture, these genres are by far a whole league of their own in style, rhythm and sound. I personally have a selection of favorites from this type of music.
Rap is a harsh, poetic revolution that allowed the Black people of America to have a voice of their own while suffering huge amounts of discrimination. It tells tales of suffering, survival and battling demons through the tough lives of many people in America. This genre has has not only supported those of African roots but everyone of any color embraced this genre. Eminem is a perfect example.



Although a lot of rap is about battles, partying and sex. I do find beautiful songs about raising awareness and sharing the love. This one is by the Black-eyed Peas.



Jazz and Blues are one of my favorite types of music to relax to. The melodies of a good saxophone puts me in a state of calm and soothes any troubles that the day brought.



Rock
This genre is one of my favorites. It's empowering and it gives me motivation to get through the day. But the best rock in the world isn't only from America. It's from Europe!

Britian: The Rolling Stones

This classic band is famous all over the world and I am proud to have them in my collection of tunes!

Britian: Dragonforce

Simply amazing guitar solos from Dragonforce. In fact, this is one of their shorter songs! They have amazing shreds of awesomeness that lasts beyond 10 minutes of music!

Germany: Rammstein

Deep, hard metal rock from Germany is absolutely exhilarating.

Techno
Ironically, a few decades ago techno was deemed as the nerd music, but today it is one of the most popular genres in the world. Take Lady Gaga for an example... She is probably America's Tehcno Queen as Michael Jackson was the King of Pop. But I don't think I can hand the best techno to Gaga... it just doesn't seem right.

Moldova/Romania: O-Zone


Sweden: Smile D.K.


Japan: Yuki Kimura


Vocaloid
Alright! Here is a genre that took me some time to getting into. This music is from my favorite country, Japan. The awesomeness of this kind of music is almost too crazy to bare! Vocaloid is a type of music that uses completely electronically generated singing voices. It's hard to imagine on how this is possible with the complexity of the human voice. But the Japanese language has about just 48 distinct sounds. You combined these to make words. For an example, the word for thank you, "arigato", uses four sounds "a", "ri", "ga", and "to". With the simplicity of all these sounds, they can easily be put together in an order for the words and played along with a melody in notes. So throw in a character to be this voice, Miku Hastune, and enjoy the results.

Miku Hastune, "World is Mine"


Even a male character.
Kaito, "When I Get Home My Wife Pretends to Be Dead"


I hope you enjoyed a few of my favorite songs from around the world. There are a whole lot more I wish to share but discovering great music on your own is a rewarding and fun experience!

Drawing Challenge: Day 2

Day 2: Favorite Animal


Okay, so the giraffe isn't really my favorite animal. I just love animals in general so it is hard for me to choose. But I know that every time I go to the zoo I just can't wait to get to the giraffes for three reasons. One: You can feed the giraffes and their long crazy tongues are so funny!!! Two: They are just so interesting to look at. And three: GIRAFFES ARE HEARTLESS CREATURES!!!



LOL.... anyways. Here is how you say "giraffe" in different languages.

Japanese: キリン "kirin
French: girafeau
German: giraffe... lol
Spanish: jirafa
Chinese: 長頸鹿 Chángjǐnglù.... don't ask me how to pronounce that... (courtesy of Google Translate)
Pig Latin: Iraffe gay
Canadianese: giraffEH

Ponyo's Hot Tea with Milk and Honey

Hey, guys! I've got thinking that I'd like to do a little recipe that I interpreted from one of my favorite Miyazaki Films, Ponyo. If you've seen the film, you'll know that there is a hot drink that Ponyo drinks with Sosuke and his mother in one of the scenes. Within the film itself, you can practically feel the warm and fuzzyness that the drink bestows upon the characters. Here is the recipe to try for yourself!



Ponyo's Hot Tea Milk and Honey Recipe:

Ingredients:
4 oz. Water
1 teabag of your tea of choice (Different flavors of tea can give it a different taste, I use green.)
4 oz. Milk
1 large spoonful of honey (or to taste, I like mine sweet.)

Bring water to a boil in a small sauce pan then pour it into a mug. Place the teabag into the water and let seep to a desirable potency. In the mean time, heat up your milk in the same saucepan until warm. Pour your milk in the mug with the tea. Fill a spoon up with honey and stir it in the drink.

Oishi! This is really good! It's perfect for cold days, bedtime, and for those with a cold. Enjoy! More Japanese recipes to come!

Drawing Challenge: Day 1

Day 1: Self Portrait

I do say, I don't like drawing myself... This was done quickly just to save me the agony haha. But I guess it didn't turn out too bad. The eyes may be a little off... As you can tell I ventured away from trying to make it realistic looking. I don't really like to try to interpret what I look like on the outside for all my creativity and inspiration is what is inside my soul. This experience has made me think on how I view myself... I rushed this and did it without much thought or joy. Do I think that I'm a boring person? ...I don't know. Maybe I just don't feel that connected to the real world. Maybe this type of portrait is not what I personally feel that is my style or ways of doing things. Anyways, I think this drawing challenge will give me a new outlook of what is important to me in my art.

Nippon: Inside my Soul

For those who are acquainted with me, you will know that I am in love with the culture and spirit of Japan. Ever since I was very small, I have been dreaming of Japan and longing to be there for most of my life. It's kind of hard to explain on the effect this country has on me. Something stirs inside me as I learn more about this amazing place. There are both good and bad things about Japan just as much as any country. However, throughout my cultural studies I find myself more keen on Japan than any other place on Earth. Now that I am done with school, I am planning a trip to Japan within a year. I'd like to have someone go with me but even if I don't have a friend I will be making plenty in the place of my dreams. I know this particular post has really nothing to do with my research, but I will put together an in depth piece on this country soon. For now, I'd like to share a beautiful video titled "Japan - Heartbeats of Time" by Trey Ratcliff. Please enjoy.

Japan - Heartbeats of Time from Trey Ratcliff on Vimeo.

Drawing Challenge

Hey you guys! I finally got the list for my 30 days of drawing! As a reminder, I will be off facebook for the 30 days starting on the 19th of September. Just follow my blog to see my progress on these drawings! If I happen to have your phone number I will be texting you, probably from lack of social stimulation. Haha! Alright, wish me luck!

Day 1: Self-Portrait
Day 2: Favorite Animal
Day 3: Favorite Food
Day 4: Super Hero
Day 5: Super Villain
Day 6: Sequential Comic
Day 7: Graffiti you would put on a Wall
Day 8: Favorite Animated Character
Day 9: Favorite Talk Show Host
Day 10: Favorite Candy
Day 11: Scene from a Movie
Day 12: Most Memorable Past-time
Day 13: Re-Design a Book Cover
Day 14: Favorite Fairytale
Day 15: Family Portrait
Day 16: Inspiration
Day 17: Favorite Sweet
Day 18: ZOMBIES
Day 19: A Sea Creature
Day 20: An Actor and an Actress
Day 21: Something you want
Day 22: Tattoo Design
Day 23: Your Zodiac Sign
Day 24: A Couple
Day 25: Scenery
Day 26: Something you don’t like
Day 27: A Dragon
Day 28: A Martial Arts Battle
Day 29: A Place you want to go
Day 30: An outfit from your Dream Wardrobe

30 day Challenges (Need suggestions!)

Attention friends and family! I shall announce that I have taken a deep interest in trying out a series of 30 day challenges for my self. One thing I have noticed, is that I have been spending way too much time using StumbleUpon and sitting on Facebook. I know these two are huge time wasters for me and distract me from doing more productive things. So starting Monday, September 19th, I will uninstall the Stumble button from my browser's tool bar and deactivate my Facebook account for 30 days. In the mean time, with the extra time on my hands I will be drawing one complete drawing every day for 30 days. I've picked up a nice list from a forum to start with. This won't be the final list for I will tweak it a bit to fit my needs as necessary.

30-day Drawing Challenge (without Facebook or StumbleUpon)
Day 1: Self-Portrait
Day 2: Favorite Animal
Day 3: Favorite Food
Day 4: Super Hero
Day 5: Super Villain
Day 6: Sequential Comic
Day 7: What’s in my bag?* (I only have books, boring subjects)
Day 8: Favorite Animated Character
Day 9: Favorite TV Show* (too many to choose from)
Day 10: Favorite Candy
Day 11: Scene from a Movie*
Day 12: A Recipe*
Day 13: Re-Design a Book Cover
Day 14: Favorite Fairytale
Day 15: Family Picture* (oh my... please no)
Day 16: Inspiration
Day 17: A Delicious Food* (since the favorite food is already for day 3)
Day 18: ZOMBIES
Day 19: A Sea Creature
Day 20: An Actor and an Actress
Day 21: Something you want
Day 22: The meaning of your name* (My name is boring)
Day 23: Your Zodiac Sign
Day 24: A Couple
Day 25: Scenery
Day 26: Something you don’t like
Day 27: A Dinosaur* (A dragon instead maybe?)
Day 28: A Collage* (can I draw ninjas?)
Day 29: A Place you want to go
Day 30: A Favorite outfit* (that I wear or that I want to wear?)

And to even challenge myself further, I've gotten too much into the habit of drawing with my tablet and lost the feel of real paper. So every drawing will be on a physical medium, without Photoshop! I will be posting my drawings in my blog every few days or so. Hey, I may even do a video of the process of my drawings!

This weekend I will post the final draft of my list, in the mean time I would like some ideas for other drawings I can do. Please comment and give me suggestions! The days that are marked with a "*" are the ones I would like to change. Wish me luck!

Love and Marriage in the Mormon Church

Reguarding to my own experience in relationships, I've found myself at an ends on what to rely on. You see, I was raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was taught that physical "intimacy" is to only be shared between a man and his wife. However, falling from church activity I found myself stepping over that rule. At first I did feel guilty and scared but as time went on I wasn't feeling so insecure about it. And I even discovered some interesting qualities in myself and what exactly I wanted in a relationship. Do I still think it was wrong of me to break that rule? Yes and no. I've realized that sex wasn't such a big deal that everyone made it out to be but it is something special to share with someone special, someone you are deeply in love with. I found that out the hard way and working on forgiving myself as well as making my peace with my Father in Heaven.

My main point here is to share a different perspective on the church and it's values. Overall, I respect the church highly and the members are generally friendly... that is until I started going to a Young Single Adult ward(Correction, YSA ward in Mesa, AZ). I found the young singles to be very competitive with each other and made a lot of cliques. It was like a battle of engagements, who gets married first for eternal salvation. I've found a lot of young singles getting married just after a couple of months of meeting each other! I know this because I went through the same naive decisions before I became inactive in the church. I almost married someone that I knew nothing about(and almost ruined my life because of it). And now as I watched these young singles with this experience I've realized that there was one thing that was driving them to get married so fast:

Lust.

The very first stage of falling in love is called Lust. Your sex hormones go crazy over someone you meet. And these young singles are 18-30 years of age. Young, horny people left in a congregation with each other where it's a sin to have sex before marriage... That would drive me over the edge to get married as fast as I could, too. I know, I've been through it. However, I know there would be some members of the church reading this and disagreeing with me. Eternal blessings come from a temple marriage and create eternal families. It's a very fancy and tempting idea. I would love to have that one day myself. I would just like to point out that they are just getting married way too fast. 3-6 months NOT a reasonable time to get to know someone as a potential eternal partner (heck, not even a couple of years at times). The worst part is that the church isn't putting a leash on this kinda thing or at least educate these young people on dating, relationship counsel and a proper time frame in getting to know someone completely before making an eternal (possibly regrettable) decision.

Growing up in the church, you are set with the illusion that an eternal marriage is a Walt Disney's happily ever after marriage full of happiness and fluffy pancakes. Until you are tied up with a person you've barely known and realized that a relationship takes hard hard hard work. And it's even harder after knowing that you dug yourself a hole with an eternal temple sealing. The United States divorce percentage rate is nearly 50% and around 40 of 50 divorces are young people around the age of 24 years. Why? What is making these young people divorce so quickly as they get married? Well, it's a little something called...

Maturity

The human brain does not full mature til the age of 25 or so. Granted, I do turn 24 next spring in 2012 and I know for a fact that I'm not ready to get married. Heck, I barely know who I am yet alone trying to figure someone else out. I do know that while progressing through my early twenties that my taste in men dramatically changed as well as what I want to do with my life. This in itself proves that. If there are any young people reading this, please take this advice and just take your time. You are young! Go have some fun! Don't be in a rush to get married (or rush into sex for that matter, accidents happen). Figure out what you want to do in life and think with your head, not with what's below your waist. Good luck out there... and let's try getting to know each other before making a big leap... that divorce percentage is too high for my taste... let's put a little more faith back into happily ever after.

Operation Reinvention; Stage One: Setting Goals

Hey, everyone! Sorry about not blogging in a while. I recently have been undergoing some soul-searching after my recent graduation to find out where I want to be in life. Immediately following graduation I've experienced some depression. After an internet search, I've discovered that post-graduation is actually quite common and can last for a long time. I've made some plans and job searching but I found that I lacked a lot of motivation. My self-esteem and confidence decreased as well as my motivation to do much of anything productive.

I don't like to feel like this. Being bored and unmotivated just drove me nuts! And lying around while chuckling at lolCats wasn't going to get me anywhere. "NO MORE!" I said to myself in annoyance. I get annoyed quite easily and found out that I was annoying myself! So this week I've decided to buckle down and sort myself out. Set some goals and improve myself. Until recently I thought that maybe I just needed to date again but that's the last thing I needed! If I don't like who I am right now then how the hell could I expect someone else to like me? Operation Reinvention is now executed.

Setting Goals

This is the first time that I actually wrote down and started tracking myself on my goals. I found this wonderful free tool called Joe's goals. Joe had made himself a goal tracking tool with daily checks and it even sends you an email if you haven't been using the tool in a while (unless you edit it to not to). I recommend this to anyone who wants to keep track of their progress and stay on track. So with this said, I wrote my goals down in a separate document according to time and goal type. Here is an example:

Japanese
5yrs: "To be semi-fluent in Japanese."
1yr: "To know at least 200 kanji characters"
6mth: "Know and memorize hiragana and katakana characters, 50 kanji and basic vocabulary for everyday items as well as basic conversational Japanese."
1mth: "Build up vocabulary and know Hiragana."
1wk: "Set up a morning routine to study Japanese."

Keep in mind that things could change and be adjusted. Nothing is written in stone. But having this written down in my Large Sticky Notes Gadgets for Win7 requires me to stare at it everyday and remind myself of it. The key here is to figure out your long term goal and break it up into smaller steps so you don't overwhelm yourself with such a big feet of effort and time. You should categorize your goals such like: Career, Artistic, Physical, Education, Financial, etc.

I must confess, even just getting started and writing these down gave me a sense of reassurance and confidence. I feel better all ready! If you find yourself feeling lost or in the dumps just keep in mind that you aren't going to get anywhere where if you sit around feeling sorry for yourself or just lack the knowledge to get started. Research! Action! It all comes down to action! The material you read are tools and sources for means of actually getting up and doing something! I've known some individuals that want to do more in their life. They are smart, they read books and material and soak up righteous information but they lack the action it takes to be successful. GET UP!! DO IT NOW!! STOP MAKING EXCUSES!! JUST F@!#ING DO IT! Life is short, its not going to spoon feed you everything. It's up to you to make the change!

Is the Anime Industry Dying?

A Brief history of anime

Anime, or Japanese Animation, has been around for decades. Astroboy is probably the oldest, well known Japanese cartoon. “After being the first comic to be animated in Japan, being shown on Fuji Television, dubbed into English and sold worldwide, he’s been a lot of different places in between!” (http://www.astroboy-online.com/history.php). Speed Racer, Sailor Moon, Dragonball and other Japanese cartoons made their way to the United States and grew to a 2.8 billion dollar industry in the USA alone in the year 2007.

An Anime Legend

Hayao Miyazaki is one of the most famous anime feature film directors in the industry. His Studio Ghibli's most known works include: Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, My Neighbor Totoro and Ponyo. He has a unique imagination that usually stars strong women in his films along with aspects of environmental awareness. Ponyo, for an example, sends the message about the pollution that is dumped in our oceans and how a magical fish girl is rescued by a young boy. Walt Disney took honor in dubbing his work in English and sharing it with America and other English-speaking countries. Spirited Away made a record breaking gross sales of over 234 million U.S. Dollars in Japanese theaters alone with over 10 million in the USA(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245429/ ).

Statistics for Sales of Anime in the USA

According to the Anime News Network website, character goods make up more than ninety percent of the entire anime market. With 2.512 billion dollars in character goods and only 315 million dollars in DVD sales(http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-04-01/n-america-2007-anime-market-pegged-at-us$2.8-billion).

Industry is dying

Every year people are buying less and less anime DVDs and most of the blame is pointed on to illegal internet file sharing and fan-subs. Japan's anime industry relies on America's anime fans to keep the business afloat. Even the legendary Hayao Miyazaki faces closing his studio if sales in America doesn't go up. “Cut Magazine has an interview with Hayao Miyazaki where the venerable animator confesses that if their upcoming Arietty the Borrower doesn’t do well in the box office, plans are already in place to shut down Studio Ghibli. Presumably Miyazaki means the American box office, as the film has already been released in Japan.” (http://www.geekosystem.com/studio-ghibli-closing/)

Analyzing the problem

One of the reasons that American anime fans resort to free internet file sharing for their shows is because anime takes too long to be translated in English and want access to the most recent material that is released. American television also doesn't have enough anime aired on cable unless its strictly for children. Naruto, Pokemon and Dragonball Z all have been poorly dubbed and edited to meet the children cartoon rating standards to be broadcast on channels like Disney XD and Cartoon Network. This issue goes far deep than this. Most anime fans are adults! They don't want the edited shows and horrible voice overs. They want purity and more material like any fan of any show would want. The DVDs that are available at the stores are way overpriced for the average anime fan and more than likely only sell if that consumer has seen the anime before and has a well knowledge of where their money is going. If something isn't done soon, retail revenue will be lost, jobs will be dropped, trade in entertainment will be depleted and, most of all, anime will cease to exist.

Forming a solution

Unless if this is researched, the problem doesn't announce itself to the anime fans in America. The only thing that Japan has tried to solve this problem is have the government donate some money to keep this wonderful tradition alive. Which is, unfortunately, the wrong thing to do. This answer is more simple that it seems. Make anime more available to the public! An investment in a cable channel that features teen rated anime during the day and more mature shows in prime time would help the business immensely. With a widespread of genre varieties and proper advertising, anime fans can go out and buy the DVD's of the shows they fall in love with on the way. Treat these shows like any american reality drama or sitcom and the money will start flowing in. More money makes more anime and more anime makes fans all the happier to spend.

If this problem isn't fixed soon, anime will be nothing but a lost past time. So let's come together and save this beautiful art form of unique storytelling and imagination!

What I've learned about Game Design in College

I'm currently attending a game design school for a Bachelor’s Degree and due for graduation in August of this year, 2011. I originally signed up for the Game Art program, but I supposed that not enough students signed up for it so I resorted to Game Design. I love video games! I have a passion to learn how to make them and make it the game industry as many young generations dream to do. I am here to give you the 411 on going to school for this kind of thing and here is the advice.

Take your money somewhere else.

Don't get me wrong, college is great! Everyone should have a degree of some sort, but what you learn in Game Design at a school you can teach yourself! My school teaches the basics of everything from art, programming, sound design, planning to documentation. It's up to you to pick your niche or two and work on that on your own. Mine is concept art and design. I have a classmate that is an amazing programmer and another that specializes in level design and 3D modeling. MOST OF THIS YOU CAN LEARN BY SEARCHING THE INTERNET. What you pay at game college for is:

Networking.

The faculty staff are there teaching for a reason, they know there stuff and they've worked in the industry. Many of them are still working in studios as well as teaching. You're classmates and your teachers are all competition as well as your future associates! Some of your teachers may be only a few years older than you and fresh out of college. Don't get caught up in drama and definitely don't burn bridges just because your teacher came off as a complete douche. Pay attention to who is doing what and who to stick with. Attending a college like my own you will come across people who are “party people” or “game potatoes”. Stay away from those people, playing games and having immature fun was high school, you are here to build yourself a career, build a good portfolio and get a good job. It's great to play games for research and testing but don't waste too much time on playing games when you could be making the next best hit that premieres at E3! (or doing your homework).

If you want to get your foot in the door this is what you need to do:

Find your passion and go for it!

If you are completely set on working in the game industry, find your specialty. There are many free programs out there for you to use and try out. Free tutorials are available online. Try EVERYTHING, before making a decision. If you find that art is your field, draw everyday, go to an art school, draw and make as much material as you can. Consider making a comic to show that you can draw the same characters well and frequently as well as telling a story. If you want to be a programmer, tutorials, books and forums are available all over the internet and it wouldn't hurt to get a degree only in programming. Level Designer? Unity and Unreal Game engines have free versions of there software plus with tutorials and forums! Sound Designer? Get your hands on some free sound effects and some good sound editing software, we use Adobe Audition. 3D Modeler? Blender is free! If you are in college you can get any Autodesk Software for free! That's Max, Maya, Mudbox, etc!

Okay, okay! Hold up, Andie! What if I want to be an actual game designer?

You won't be a game designer straight out of college! They may teach you how to design games but in reality game studios will not hire a game designer unless they have YEARS of game industry experience doing grunge work like the rest of us! Find something you can do in the production of games, work your way up the ladder and you may be lucky enough to land a lead designer position. In a sense, all crew members in a game studio are designers. They pitch ideas and work together to build something great and fun for the public to enjoy, so you will be designing games from the get go.

Networking!

This is what will get you a job. Find some people who has your dream job in the industry, email them for advice (NOT A JOB). If they email you back then that's great! Build connections and make friends. Kiss some butts and work on your stuff. Find others who are willing to work on making an actual game with you to share credentials for portfolio work. It doesn't have to be a big game, heck maybe even a flash game for kids but a fully functional game that you worked on would give you bonus points to potential employers.

Set goals and keep yourself busy! Don't be distracted from your work and don't waste too much time gaming! Games are awesome, but work on making them better. I can't stress this enough! Manage your time, network, and always keep learning! You will do just fine!