I was lucky when I started out, I had a mentor that knew more than me and together we made two separate text based games. That being said I would not recomend you to start out by reading a book or finding your way around the internet mostly because there is so much information that it is hard to know which parts are usefull. But, after you know the basics the internet is a great resource to expand your knowledge.
When you start out you need to know what area you want to focus on Graphics, Programming, Design. There are very many different aspects of the industry to consider, I personally wanted to be able to make a game all on my own so I studied programming and virtual design "3D Graffics and moddeling" when I was in upper secondary school and later I moved on to study programming at The Game Assembly, it was here that I realised the difference of having a good teacher that wanted to help compared to just browsing the web hoping to find something for your specific problem.
Every one that I had talked to about my dreams of becoming a programmer had told me that it would be difficult, and true enough I soon found out that in order to learn all that was needed during the 2.5 Years of education I had to spend an average of 60H a week working.
Programmer:
If you want to become a programmer you need to figure out what you want to do with it. Do you want to make AAA titles, Indie games, Flash games. The language that you need to learn is very dependent upon what you want to accomplish. If you want to make AAA titles then C++ is a must.
If you want to make Indie games then C++ or C#(C-sharp) is what you need to aim for. And, if you want to make Flash games you probably need to learn Javascript.
Graphics:
If you want to make the graphics for AAA titles then you will probably want to use Maya (Autodesk) or Max (Autodesk) with photoshop and zBrush. If you want to make the graphics for Indie Games then you might use Maya, Max or blender with photoshop or gimp. If you want to make the graphics for Flash games then I would recommend Photoshop or Gimp.
Breaking in:
Getting that first job in the industry can be difficult but far from impossible. Having a portfolio containing your best work is a must. If you have made games before then include these as they are essential for you to get the attention that you deserve.
Internships are very important because the companies dont want to hire people that they do not know this is especially true for the programmers as it takes 2-6 months to get familiar with a new code base, and they will need to set aside a mentor for you during this time.
With the help of my school I have managed to get a internship at a game company called Red Zebra in Denmark the internship is 30 Weeks long and will give the company time to see how good I am as well as improving my portfolio and CV making it easier the next time I need to search for a job.
When you are looking for an internship dont be afraid to ask the companies that you are interested in. Give them time to respond and if you get no response then make contact again. Be polite, show respect, and interest in what they are doing.
