>> guys, it's time to stop trying. a random guy on the internet doesn't see the usefulness to your discovery, so it's time to pack it in.

<3

Decided to throw my comments in here, as this thread seems like a good haven from the raging (and sometimes ill-informed) negativity in these comments. How is it useful to tell the OP that the way he's phrased the question clearly disqualifies him from the job? The fact that he asked the question is ballsy enough.

I'm going to go ahead and assume you're asking how to become a game DESIGNER, and asking about programming languages that will aid and supplement you in this role. If you're looking to become a game PROGRAMMER, the answers are much simpler: get a Computer Science degree, and possibly a Master's, and be programming games all the while. Nothing less will do in the games industry.

If you want to be a game designer but you're starting from scratch, I recommend you go the QA route, at a dev studio with INTERNAL QA (where you interact closely with designers and programmers on one or two games). This is, as most people describe, simply the best entry-level way to get a handle on how a game studio works. You'll learn things about the pipeline, the role of production, and how programming, design, and art work together and communicate to make a game.

Oh, I should've mentioned; get a 4-year (likely liberal arts) degree before you do this. The more prestigious the school, the better (perhaps sad, but definitely true). While you're there, take AT LEAST two semesters of programming. With a C/C++ foundation, you'll be able to pick up any scripting language you'll need to know as a designer (Lua, Unreal's Kismet, etc.).

While you're doing QA, pick a game with released, fully-featured mod tools, and start making levels (or self-contained games) with it. A very standard tool that will serve you EXTREMELY WELL to learn is the Unreal Editor; you can pick up Unreal Tournament 3 on Steam and run it with the "editor" option, and a full-featured Unreal Engine 3 level editor is at your fingertips. Still, despite the wealth of tutorials available on the internet, this can be a tough one to start out with (and shooters might not be your genre); Neverwinter Nights 1/2 and Oblivion/Fallout 3 all have easier-to-use, fully-featured editors and detailed developer-supported wikis to help learn them.

Also, read anything and everything you can. Gamasutra articles are top-notch, the IGDA website has some informative articles (become a student member for $40 a year!), and there are several excellent books on design (see parent's parent). Don't just read about design, though; read fiction (sci-fi and fantasy especially), and keep up with current events. Oh, and Tom Sloper (http://www.sloperama.com/advice.html) has solid, if slightly outdated advice, on everything from how to prepare for an industry job to how to ace the interview.

Make a website, host it somewhere cheap, and post all completed, portfolio-quality work in an attractive format. Include screenshot walkthroughs of your levels (embedded Picasa slideshows work well here), well-written design documentation, and any support or background material that might enhance your level.

Now you're ready to apply for entry-level design positions. It's tricky. Some companies have design internships, which you should definitely apply for -- they get your work for incredibly cheap, and you get your foot in the door and some design credit on your resume. If you are proud of your portfolio, apply for open (non-senior) design positions all over, and email the HR department of companies local to you about possible openings, even if there are none currently posted; not having to tear up your life and move is a huge benefit... though expect to do just that many times over the course of your career. Obviously, if you're doing internal QA for a company, it can't hurt to make a level or demo for THEIR in-development game, but you can get burned if you put a lot of effort into that and get turned down, because you won't be able to use that work in your public portfolio.

It's hard, and the competition is more vicious than ever (so many talented people just got laid off this year!), but making games can be an incredibly rewarding career, and games are never going away -- you'll still be relevant in 30 years. Hope that helps a bit!