Fresh off the boat

[Attenwood]

Greetings and salutations to my like-minded comrades! I thought I'd take a moment to throw my hat into the midst of this vast vat of fellow game development professionals, aspirers, and enthusiasts.

When I first left high school, bright-eyed and weak-knee'd, I think I scared myself away from game development. For one, I tried to follow suit with an art-focus, as my friends had, when I had next to no innate talent; second, there was a tremendous amount of pressure to do something more "stable." Four years and a Bachelors in Psychology later, I finally found the initiative and opportunity to fearlessly refocus toward my original passion. So here I am!

I'm not sure if it's possible to describe my initial reaction to the decision. Is it possible to feel like you've finally found your path and at the same time feel incredibly lost? It seems like the web is inundated with information, so it was something of a relief when I arrived here. A forum that organized and made sense of the madness for someone looking to get a foothold on the bottom rung.

So, through my research I've decided to go after a path in Game Design. I'm fortunate enough to live in a city that has a pretty good certificate program in it, and already possess a degree in psychology (told it will be useful). From what I know, programs are only as strong as the initiative taken by the students within them, and my goal will be to create as prominent a portfolio as possible starting over with two years and a certificate, and aim that toward a graduate program later.

To make this fairly effusive post relevant (thanks in advance, Tsloper and others),
1. Do many opportunities arise around here for pro-bono work and experience? I'll live off beans and rice if it means getting opportunities to build up a portfolio. Haha.
2. Recommended resources for game design aspirers?
3. Anyone looking for an apprentice to mentor, and make you proud? haha. Kidding aside, advice is always welcome.

Happy to be here, and thanks in advance.

Cheers,
Attenwood

[tsloper]

1. No. Not in Game Design. Read "Everybody Wants To Design" (http://www.igda.org/games-game)

2. My other columns, and my articles on Sloperama.com, for starters.

[Attenwood]

Thank you for the swift and concise response. It offers some valuable perspective. I think I'll adjust several steps on my rung while I explore your columns.