I'd really prefer to be an indie dev, so I can make what I want and work with people I like (and have better working hours), but I've been considering the pro developer scene a bit... mostly because I need a job, and making games is what I most want to do. However, even then, I'd like to be able to work on stuff that I'd at least be passionate about. To that end, I need some information, and I'm hoping that someone here might be able to provide it.
The question is this: Do you know of any developer in the United States that makes [GOOD] games similar in any way to the Zelda series?
I want to make Zelda-like action/adventure games (though obviously with changes that Nintendo should have already made). No doubt I wouldn't be prepared for any such job (don't ask me what, specifically, I would want to do) just yet, but I would like to contact someone on the development team and ask them what kind of education and skills I would need, so I can get to studying things that I didn't learn in college. Making small games of my own and/or modding existing ones is something I know I'll need to work on (and have no objections to!).
I might actually work best as a programmer, but I don't want to rule anything else out (except maybe art, but I'll be working on character modeling). For those who want to know, I have some slight experience with Visual Basic (don't remember any), Java (don't remember any, but have a textbook), Python (don't remember any, but have a textbook), JavaScript (just started, so far looks similar to C# except for type declarations and related syntax), C and C++ (remember a bit, giving myself a refresher as we speak), and C# (love it and know it much better than the others, but need a refresher). I'd love to master each of these languages just 'cuz, but I get the impression that C and C++ might be the most useful, followed by the Javas and C#. For my personal projects, I'm using the Unity Engine, which supports scripting in C#, JavaScript (which is how I know any JS at all), and Boo.
First thing first, what is your education?
B.S. in math with minors in computer science and physics, but I majored in the wrong thing for what I want to do (because at the time, I didn't know what I wanted to do), and I'm not really interested much in physics anymore. That comp. sci. minor is the most relevant thing, but it pales in comparison to a major.
A neighbor of mine works for n-Space. They're a smaller developer who works mostly on licensed games, but they've produced a steady stream of games over the past few years so I figured he's as good as anyone to ask. He gave me two suggestions. The first is to get an actual degree of some sort from a school that focuses on game design or a directly related field. There's lots of them popping up all over the place these days, and the more respected ones act as feeders for a lot of the bigger developers. For instance here in Orlando there's a school called Full Sail University and they've got a pretty respected program that focuses on all aspects of game design. After graduating a lot of their students go on to EA Sports (also based in Orlando) and do a lot of the grunt work there. Another fun fact about Full Sail is if you remember Skylock from GS, he is (or at least was) a professor there and teaches music composition for video games.
The other way is to get noticed on your own, and make your game, as you sort of mentioned. That's not the easiest thing to do though since there's tons of people out there doing the same thing and it's tough to get noticed unless you have someone who is actively showing off your game. An easier route is to try and make an iPhone or Android app. It shows off design skill, and offers a degree of creativity. Plus there's the added bonus of making some money off of it. Once again that's a crowded market as well, but it has an added advantage of being able to show off your work very easy as well. If you can do something like that, and you aren't afraid to network it's a decent plan.
Hope that helps a little.
I want a job where I tell people what to make and they make it. I tell them exactly how the game should play, how it looks, I help design every level and moment. Then they make it and I play test it to make sure it does not suck and I send it back until it is perfect and the most incredible game ever made. Is there a job like that?
Your idea of "indie dev" -> creating your own company, meaning you have to be able to do business planning, and funding. Even if you're not under the control of a parent company, getting funding affects what you pitch, because there may not be much of a backing for Penis Wars 2012.
The alternate side of "indie dev" is basically friends making a game together. FInancial success in this regard is largely luck-based. It doesn't matter how awesome you think your game is if nobody plays it. You have to catch some breaks here, on top of being very skilled. You don't just say "I want to make a game!" then learn the requisite programming skills in a month to make a success.
You need to focus on what you want to do from a career perspective first, then how it fits into the gaming world second.
Can you be a part of it? Of course! It's a big industry, with a need for a lot of skilled people. If you focus yourself in what you want to do, and maintain that passion over an extended period of time, you'll break through and get your chance. But you need to know what you're passionate about, where you want to be, and how you'll get there.
Oh, and what's going to get you into a position with a professional gaming house, or most programming places worth a damn, anyway, is not knowing a particular language, but knowing the concepts behind the area of work. Largely, just be a good programmer and the rest will come. If you get serious about developing your own games instead of conceptualizing them, you may want to look into writing an engine instead of using middleware.
"because there may not be much of a backing for Penis Wars 2012."
There'd probably be A LOT of backing for Penis Wars 2012!