HI, I am not a programmer. All I know about programming is a bit of Lingo in director. But I am a 3d Animator with skills in 3D Studio Max. We develop educational CBTs and computer based presentations for corporations. However Real time 3D game fascinate me and I want to be involved in the development of one. What skills do I need to possess to be a 3d game programmer? Will my animation skills help me with that? 

Regards, Ranit

As a 3D game programmer or as an Animator for 3D games. As a 3D game programmer you need to know C and C++ inside out. Of course you can make a game with less knowledge using somebody else's 3D engine but generally you'll have to do that on your own. You won't be able to get the job unless you could do it from scratch.

You might be able to work into it though be using Lingo and or ActionScript in flash (both of which are programming) you might be able to get a scriptor job or a level layout kind of job somewhere in the industry and then kind of learn on the job. Learning programming is probably not something you'll learn on the job but learning how to make a game in general is.

Your animation skill will only help to the extent that you might be able to animate something yourself instead of getting an artists to do it for you and you might be able to write / design better tools since you have first hand experience with how you use the 3D programs where as most programmers really don't animate and so they are kind of guessing what the arists need.

-gregg