[Tarrek]

I'm still in my first term in a REAL game program. For you and anyone else interested, if you want a few programs to get started and get some stuff going for a portfolio, here ya go:
-Gamemaker 7 - It's free and is good for very basic games with not soo good graphics. Has tutorials and such. (8 may be free too, but I'm not sure.)
-UDK(Unreal Development Kit)-It's free and is an epic game engine that lets you create awesome levels with amazing graphics. You can even create things in other programs (like 3dsmax) and import them in. Has many different tutorials for any aspect of a game you could want. This is the engine used to make games like Gears of War.

My biggest advice to anyone is find a program that gives you what you want. Don't settle for a game production passoff that claims to be a game production program but isn't really.

Good luck all. I'll see you in the world.