Full-time game designer is a wonderful word. In Germany I am often asked if I also have a “real” occupation.
Quotes on game design
You see, designing games is magic and your creation makes you feel so happy and fulfilled. This feeling crumbles when you have to face the playtesters who are realistic and find the weaknesses of a game.
Players tend to either skip the story or skip the game. Balancing the two so that they reinforce each other is hard, and often either the story or the game ends up too shallow for repeated play.
If you want to make a game, create it. It doesn’t matter if it’s crap. It will still be awesome compared to games that just exist in your head.
Play as often as you can, just by yourself. Try everything. Learn to understand why something doesn’t work. This learning is more important than the game.