I got a crazy question. Does anyone know if there's like any private organizations that actively train game designers in a similar way that CIA trained spies at The Farm during the Cold War? Other examples of this practice include the Zen temples in China where you can just apply and then pay a certain fee, then train, eat, sleep and train (no I didn't repeat myself) for X years.

No, I'm not typing this in Lala-land atm, but this is a major money-making industry, so I'm just asking. It's not a big problem that I have to rely on internet connection and books from Amazon, but I do feel like I could've learned things a lot quicker. Just a nice fantasy, I guess.

I'm obviously talking about sponsors and human resource projects outside of (or in conjunction with) University education. And, if they DO exist, what are the risks?

I mean, I'm pretty sure that a bunch of people think that I got some mental issues for trying to reprogram my own brain to work like a combination of Spock from Star Trek and Helios from Deus Ex, so that must obviously mean that most people who have the same goal as me, ARE batshit insane. So you gotta be careful with who you're dealing with.

I don't know of anything like what you're describing; there are various specialised educational institutions (Full Sail, etc.), and there are some online courses available, but these are more akin to traditional education than some full-on-spend-all-your-time-learning type of program. To be honest, if you're planning to enter the industry you're probably best of just working towards a traditional university degree (Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Art, Music, whatever is relevant to your chosen field), or failing that one of these more specialised options. One major problem with something like you describe would be the lack of a recognised qualification -- you might well learn to be one of the best developers ever, but you still won't get through HR screening if you don't have a relevant qualification. Obviously there would also be issues of work-life balance, but it sounds like you're at least vaguely aware of and choosing to ignore those.

If you don't want to enter the industry and are just after the knowledge than you probably don't need the qualification and can just find any relevant study materials -- classes at any local organisations, online course materials, etc.

To be honest, if you're planning to enter the industry you're probably best of just working towards a traditional university degree (Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Art, Music, whatever is relevant to your chosen field), or failing that one of these more specialised options.

Yeah that's what I'm aiming for atm.

Obviously there would also be issues of work-life balance, but it sounds like you're at least vaguely aware of and choosing to ignore those.

I have no life.