I want to get into the video game industry, but I'm not sure if college is necessary. Based on research I have the impression that indie game designers basically just broke into the business on their own and eventually became very successful. Is this true or do I really need a degree?

You need to be talented and creative if you're gonna break out of the indy scne....which...judging from your first post that is probably lacking.

you are right a lot of the composers just knew the right people. nobuo uematsu for example.

a lot of the finest musicians of game and other don't have degrees.

education rarely does anyone any good, but if you feel you need it or a specific job requires it than get one. but i don't think it is vital.

you might find these two videos helpful:

Making Music: From Hobby to Profession

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltRy6VU0xaY

this channel has a range of topics about the games insustry from degrees to audio.

http://www.youtube.com/user/InsideEA

If you want to work as a songwriter, don't limit yourself to game music, that's just stupid.

Learn music theory, know the flying frak out of music theory, know how to sight read, know how music works, know how to write. Know music, know all parts of an orchestra, and the ranges of all those instruments, learn about guitars, guitar tones, drums, different types of keyboards, know as much as you can about music. Playing piano is a great help in songwriting, it's a really versatile instrument, and you can use it to compose a lot of different instruments. If you don't know music theory, if you don't understand music, you're never going to make it as a songwriter. And if you limit yourself to just game music, you're not going to get any work. A a successful businessperson makes money, and if you're a freelance songwriter, you're a businessperson. Turning down a gig 'cause it's not game music would be moronic.

It's not easy to cut it as a songwriter, dude. Those cats know a lot about music, even the ones who end up writing jingles for TV shows, they forget more about music than the average person ever learns. The music industry is a tough place to be. The pay sucks, and when you're starting out, people look at you and treat you like a leper, you gotta be thick skinned, you gotta have a will to prove people wrong. When someone steps on you, or looks at you like you're a leech, you gotta be able to say 'Fuck you, I'll show you', rise above that, let that push you to get to the point where they come to you, and you're not coming to them.

Be realistic. If you're not musically inclined, if you're not passionate about music, you're going to end up broke, and wasting years of your life. Even if you are talented, passionate, and driven, you're going to broke, and working a second job to pay for what you want to do. The music industry sucks, but if you have some stick-to-it-iveness, you can make it.

In terms of an education, it helps. If you graduate from a decent school, it will show people that you have an understanding of relative subject matter. It's not useless, in fact it's pretty god damned handy, but it's not a necessity.

Since this is in the music forum, I'm assuming it's about getting into the music side of the gaming industry. If it's about anything else, ignore me.