ASPIRING GAME DEVELOPER. LIFE DECISION DILEMMA

author=SaitenHazard
Only solution I can think of is just to do both. Which again would take a lot of time away from actually developing games. By the way only just started my second year of my undergrad if that helps in anyway. Please share your thoughts.

Don't limit yourself to just one thing in life. The worst thing you can do to yourself is be over-specialized in one thing and ONLY one thing. Because if your type of work goes belly-up for some reason down the road, you need to be multi-faceted if you need to find a new career in a pinch.

I have a Master's in Library Science. I work full time between two jobs in two different libraries and do game design on the side as just a personal hobby, but it's also another option to look at if I decide I need a change of pace years from now.

Just going to throw in my 2 cents:

Remember that game design and game programming/development are two different things. If you enter a design interview saying you've won numerous programming contests and have memorized all of the standard APIs for OpenGL and DirectX, they'll probably think you're interviewing for the wrong job.

Something you might check out is the Extra Credits video series, as they're all about game design and the game industry. Here are some specific videos that might interest you:

Extra Credits - So You Want To Be a Game Designer - Career Advice for Making Games
Extra Credits: So You Want to be a Developer (part 1)
Extra Credits: So You Want To Be an Indie
Extra Credits: On Game Schools

They also have a full playlist all about game careers written by people from the gaming industry. It's honestly the best preview of the industry I've found online (which is pretty sad).
Extra Credits: Game Careers

You may also want to check out their gaming industry playlist, as it'll introduce you to some current issues. While some may be outdated by the time you plan to enter the industry, being able to show that you've been following the industry for a number of years shows the hiring company that you're serious and better than the dozens of other people who simply "like games."
Extra Credits: Game Industry

Getting a good mindset into game design can be helpful too, especially since you'll be starting on the ground floor and therefore assisting rather than directing. What I mean by this is that it's important for you, as a designer, to understand the consequences of your design decisions. For example, what gender should the player-character of the game be? Can the player choose the gender? If so, how would that impact the rest of the game? What restrictions on the complexity of the plot does it pose? Remember that part of good game design is considering how costly it would be to implement features.

Here's something I recently looked into: how have different games handled large casts of characters with regards to plot (especially dialogue)? My three examples were Chrono Cross, Shining Force II, and Final Fantasy VI (I've never played Suikoden, but if I was serious about this I'd check it out as well).

Speaking of game design, here's the game design playlist to give you some ammo for any potential interview or cover letter. You don't have to agree with everything there, but it'll at least give you something to talk about and again show that you're thinking deeply and flexibly about game design.
Extra Credits: Game Design

One more thing I'll say is that you don't necessarily have to make a game in order to design one. If you're interested in RPGs, write a plot, create a battle system, design characters, maybe even design menus and interfaces and think of how all the programmatic elements work together. Being able to show not only an interesting idea but how it can be easily implemented would impress, I think. More importantly, though, forcing yourself to think about these things will force you to seek out answers to some tough questions and give you more legitimate exposure to game design. Also, while I used RPGs as an example, I don't know of any JRPG gaming companies outside of Japan, so hopefully that's not your end-goal.

Three final things to say:
1. Whatever you do, don't work at Electronic Arts (EA). Just read up a little bit on how they treat their staff and you'll immediately know why.

2. As others have said, have a backup plan. That could be as simple as being really good at programming and getting a job outside of the gaming industry or, if you're not actually that interested in programming, picking up another major at school.

3. Good luck!

I have to agree with Kentona.

Don't be afraid to experiment things. It's true that you will discover your true calling by trying things.

I always dreamed to travel to Japan. I saved up money washing dishes to go there. Sometimes a cook would a pot with burned cheese at the bottom. Just leave it there, on the counter there. The bottom was all black and charred and it smelled so bad mixed with the water you know?

Goddamn it. I was so stressed. Sweat coming down my forehead as dishes were pilling up because I had to scrub that cheese all fossilized down there. But I told myself, if I can get that cheddar off that pot bottom I'll be one dairy closer to Japan.

I was a poor guy, working a poor-man's job. I mean, washing dishes is like one step away from prostitution when you think about it, it really is hitting rock bottom.

I was earning less than 8 dollars an hour for scrubbing all sort of stuff.

Then I had enough money to go to Japan and I didn't like it at all. My bath was so small I could barely fit naked in there.

So, sometimes you really wish for something but it turns out pretty bad. And sometimes you don't want something to happen, like a cook telling you to clean a pan filled with cheese but you learn a lot from that problem.

Just my two cents, I hope this helps.

author=LightningLord2
I personally want my game making to remain a pastime - I wouldn't be able to enjoy working on RPG Maker if I had to meet deadlines, sale minimums and also had to deal with monetization.

This is pretty much how I feel about it. Gamedev is something I never really plan to make any serious money from. At the very most, I'd consider doing a pay-what-you-want release. But it's never been about the money for me, and the idea of working for someone else doing what I love is something I'd likely never consider.

author=LightningLord2
I personally want my game making to remain a pastime - I wouldn't be able to enjoy working on RPG Maker if I had to meet deadlines, sale minimums and also had to deal with monetization.

For me the deadlines are the real fun. The rush to get it all ready before the bell, getting all the assets compiled, yadda yadda.

Late in development I tend to be doing 5 or more things at once, it's a rush!

Monetization doesn't apply since the CCC and Corporation XVI are non-profit.