Thingcubed

Well, what I've gathered is that you want to start a business that offers online/LAN games to be played at an hourly rate. There may be some legal issues that you would have to deal with. First off, you would have to ensure that the company that created the game doesn't restrict people from doing this in their EULA. Some companies do (Microsoft/Bungie's Halo is one of them I think). With regards to World of Warcraft which was mentioned earlier, I'm fairly certain that an account is to be used by one person only, not a group of people. Before attempting to start something like this it's very important to do research into the legal restrictions that might apply.

Well, tuition/fees really depend on where you live and where you plan on studying. For example, the cost of going to school in the US for a US citizen is definitely higher than for a UK citizen in the UK. At my school the program is rather intense so I don't have time for a part-time job, much as I would like one. Student loans for me looked to be the best choice, but I think they are only good for people who are relatively certain they can get a decent job after completing their degree, otherwise paying it back becomes problematic (I've seen this happen firsthand to people I know).

Hmmm, while I can see that pupils might have some sort of subconscious effect on us, I think there might be another factor at play. When somebody looks you in the eyes while talking to you it's a lot more engaging, and someone who believes/knows about the pupil thing will be looking at peoples eyes while they talk.

Popularity is relatively subjective. When I was in highschool (alright, it was only last year), there was a group of the "popular" kids. The thing is, they weren't exactly popular. What they really were was a sort of holdover of the "popular" kids from middle school. It all really depends on what your definition of popular is. Looking back, I was definitely not "popular," but I had a lot of good friends from just about every social clique. The important thing isn't to be part of a small group of kids who are looked on as popular, the point is to have a good time and make friends that you actually want to have as your friends. Some of the "popular" kids really were popular, but it was only because they were decent people and treated the nerds/dorks/geeks etc... like normal people. Because you know, thats what they are, the different cliques are very superficial.Oh, and as most people said before me, confidence is the key to it all. Confidence in yourself, and the fact that even if you aren't into the same things as other people, they'll still respect you. I was one of the nerdy kids in highschool, but that didn't stop me being best friends with jocks, preps, stoners, or anyone else. In the end most people fall somewhere inbetween all of the cliques anyways.

It really depends on what level of programmer you are, and which part of the industry you're working in. While I don't have direct working knowledge (I'm currently still a student studying programming), the average starting salary for graduates in my degree program is around $60,000. That's with close to 100% placement as well. As far as programming in the Game Industry goes the more experience someone has, the more likely they are to be hired. However, there is a large degree of burnout. The industry is very demanding, and has long work weeks, so many people work as game programmers for a few years and then move on to something less demanding of their time.As far as respect goes, it is entirely dependent on who you talk to, and what you're programming. From my experience it is generally a well respected career, but also considered boring and unimaginative in some circles.