You're a life long gamer and want to join the industry. Where to start?

[Euphoria14]

youarebadatgames said:

You sound unfocused.  I think you should re-evaluate why you really want to get into the industry.  If you are making airplane parts for the government and you have health insurance and a decent income, I would really hesitate to think about moving into the gaming industry, the jobs won't be plentiful and they aren't very stable - especially in this economy.  If you are going to get married and start a family, I would say don't do it.

If you want to be a programmer, you can get started with XNA (free).  Learn Java, C , and start brushing up on math. This is probably the hardest part for you because real game programming requires a lot of math and you sound like you are a writer.

If you want to be an artist, start learning how to use 3D packages like Blender (free) or Maya/3DS and practice until you can put together a decent portfolio.

Look at what mod teams are looking for, and see if you can break into that.  If you can get on a project that finishes, it'll be good for the resume and it will show you can finish something to the end.

I hate math. Programming is definitely not where I would want to be. I would want to be in a position where writing and/or drawing is involved.