How to become a video game designer?

Your question is still somewhat vague as you haven't specified what 'type' of game designer you want to be. Yes, you want to design the weapons, armor, etc., but do you plan on drawing/painting them, or do you plan on modeling them in 3D, or do you plan on designing their stats and how they interact with eachother? That will answer which career path you ultimately want to follow: art or programming. There actually much more to it than that, but it will all rely on what you actually want to do. As for college: it's definitely a plus, and you'll get a well-rounded education if you get a Bachelor's degree. As for internships: don't count on them. Game designers don't get internships, it's an advanced job title, meaning you'll put in 5+ years in the game industry before you get a chance at the title (in most cases). Some colleges do offer internships, but they are pretty rare, and the internships are typically for general job positions, like programmer or artist. My first source is a link to an index of several "Breaking into the Game Industry" articles. Take some time to read through a few that interest you to help you get a better grasp on what you need to do to prepare yourself for a job in the game industry. The second link is specifically about the different types of game designers and their roles in the game industry. Give the second link a read, and if you want more information, you can find it in that first link. Good luck.

1. spend 100,000 on a college degree 2. go to china or india and work for 2 dollars a day. all that work is outsourced. too bad you don't want to program software, that is highly in demand everywhere.