Hello, everyone.
I'm fairly new here, and I've spent most of my time lurking around the math/physics forum looking for some problem solving entrainment.

Anyway, in September I'll start working on my Game Design & Development degree at RIT (with plans for a Masters either there or at SMU). RIT's game department is located at igm.rit.edu

The purpose of this post is to seek guidance in selecting my courses. There are a number of open spaces in my schedule, so what should I use to fill up my time?
As a note, I will be taking a calculus and advanced physics based curriculum.

My current background is playing around (2 or 3 e-books) with c++; html and vb6 in high school; every iteration of rpg maker (and some RUBY for RGSS); and finally a few tutorials with DarkBASIC and DX11. My home computer is capable of anything, so I welcome all suggestions!

The purpose of this post is to seek guidance in selecting my courses.

Fill it up with required courses so you can take lots of electives later when you don't need guidance from strangers on the Internet.

Unfortunately, I begin taking at least one elective in the first quarter. Most classes are taken in the first 2 years, however, as a considerable portion of the final two years are co-op.

So take whatever you want, then.

It depends. Are you planning on working indie? Or are you trying to get hired by some big game development company? It looks like this program really targets the programming side of things, leaving many blanks in the other parts of developing a game. I'd take classes to fill those gaps if you're planning to go indie; otherwise I'd recommend taking additional programming classes to supplement your skills. There's a ton of software that's useful in games that are not the games themselves. See Steam, Xbox Live, MUDs and MMORPGs...

From my discussion with the chairman, I gathered that I would gain proficiency in roughly ten languages. Also required are physics, calculus, and graphics programming classes. The major issue for me is with the liberal arts minor, as these are classes that cannot be from the game design department. Psychology, Shakespeare, Public Speaking... My short term goal is to work for a sizeable company. I have a wife and child to support, and a $4000/month military paycheck to replace. The ultimate goal is to become a project lead, eventually heading my own studio.

I have essentially all of my free electives fulfilled from online college and military training, and the government is paying for all of my classes...so I'm looking to fill the free time with as many relevant classes as possible. My problem is determining what's relevant.

Should I go more than 2 quarters deep into Calculus (moving on to project-based calc)? Should I spend some time in Japanese classes (I live in Japan at the moment)? Should I force myself into learning server side programming, interpretive dance, religion, or anthropology, even though they seem incredibly boring?

I'm looking for the insider's "I wish I would have learned that in college..." type of insight. Anything that will help me accelerate through the career curve.

An extra note: my intended masters program is the programmer's portion of the Guildhall at SMU's program.

From my discussion with the chairman, I gathered that I would gain proficiency in roughly ten languages. Also required are physics, calculus, and graphics programming classes. The major issue for me is with the liberal arts minor, as these are classes that cannot be from the game design department. Psychology, Shakespeare, Public Speaking... My short term goal is to work for a sizeable company. I have a wife and child to support, and a $4000/month military paycheck to replace. The ultimate goal is to become a project lead, eventually heading my own studio.

So you want to work for a big company first, then go indie? O.o

Should I go more than 2 quarters deep into Calculus (moving on to project-based calc)? Should I spend some time in Japanese classes (I live in Japan at the moment)? Should I force myself into learning server side programming, interpretive dance, religion, or anthropology, even though they seem incredibly boring?[/quote]
Does RIT offer server-side programming classes? If you ever intend to make an MMO, that would be a must-take. Otherwise, it's probably not that important.

Good bearing on several culture is important in designing a world, for sure. I would read as many classics from as many different cultures as you can, but you wouldn't really benefit from taking a course in Japanese specifically unless you want to work at Nintendo or something. It would also benefit you to study major religion and philosophy, it can help you to build a deep mythology and strongly defined characters.

The programming aspect (relative to games) seems well-covered by the bachelor's program, but without having taken the classes I can't be sure of their depth or intensity. I would supplement with other courses that interest you but could be applied to games -- CE and EE courses, for example, could be useful in limited contexts. Pretty much any CS course would be useful, too

I have a wife and child to support
My problem is determining what's relevant.
Should I go more than 2 quarters deep into Calculus...? Should I spend some time in Japanese classes...? Should I force myself into learning ... incredibly boring [subjects]?
I'm looking for the insider's "I wish I would have learned that in college..." type of insight.

Coty, you have a decision to make. And your real problem is that you don't know how to make a decision. Ordinarily, knowing that you were married, I would recommend involving your wife in the decision. In this case, your decision doesn't really impact her. But if you think it does, then you should ask her help. If she's a good wife, she would urge you to take whatever makes you happiest. Other people's regrets are irrelevant. What some hypothetical future employer would require is irrelevant. It's YOUR life. You have to make your own decision.
How to make a decision: FAQ 70. Ganbatte kudasai!

My short term goal is to work for a sizeable company.

Moving this to Breaking In. Coty, read this forum's FAQs (link above).

Should I go more than 2 quarters deep into Calculus (moving on to project-based calc)? Should I spend some time in Japanese classes (I live in Japan at the moment)? Should I force myself into learning server side programming, interpretive dance, religion, or anthropology, even though they seem incredibly boring?

This is a combination of what worked for me and what I wished I would have done...

1. For your major take the hardest courses that will both challenge you and make you learn. These are your core courses. If you don't know which ones comprise this list then you need to ask around more, do some research, and find out what courses live up to this reputation. For example, in my program compiler construction, networking, and computer graphics were the 'scary' final-year courses with the reputation of being a lot of work. I took all three when I could have completed my degree by taking 3 easier courses instead. The stuff I learned in those 3 courses alone has been extremely valuable in my career. There will be 'pinnacle' courses like this in RIT's program and if you want the best out of your education then must make sure that you know which ones they are and end up taking them.
2. For the extra space, instead of filling it up with more 'fluffy' courses related to your major or just 'fluffy' courses in general, choose a different topic of interest and pursue it as high as you can go. I recommend this area being different from your major (think left-brain/right-brain combination) but it's up to you.

I mostly pursued #1 and was happy with the result. However I spread myself somewhat thin in #2 and wished I would have instead focused on a particular minor e.g. Philosophy or Pacific/Asian studies so that I would have ended up with more courses of the 3rd or 4th year level in those areas.