help! jobs in the industry!

[mrstickball]

I would suggest making a decision on what kind of game maker you want to be.

Do you want to be an artist? programmer? level editor? writer? Decide what you want to do when it comes to making video games, and start ASAP.

If you want to be an artist, start getting good at various disciplines that transfer to video games. See if you can snag a copy of any Autodesk product. Maybe your school has a license for them.

Programmer? Start learning to compile code ASAP. 14 is a great time to start in on learning code.

Level editor? Start modding current games to add to a portfolio. Some people get hired by being good modders.

So on and so forth. Don't start when your in college, start now, and by the time you need college, you may be a few steps closer to an industry job. You do not *need* college to become a video game developer. College essentially certifies you as having the core skills, but the core skills don't have to come by way of college....It just provides a focus for your skills.

If you really want to get good, snag a copy of the Unreal Development Kit, Torque Gaming Engine, or Unity. Learning to use any of those 3 engines would be a HUGE plus. Heck, by the time your 18, you may know enough about Unreal or an engine to get hired off the bat.