How can you prove yourself as a budding games designer?

Since it involves so many different disciplines and such intangible skills as creativity, it is so much harder and less concrete than proving oneself as, say, a skilled animator.

Let me let you in on a little secret. Among games design students the paranoia reaches incredible heights. Everybody carry little black books full of original ideas, but due to all these urban legends about how people got their best ideas stolen by the big players, nobody dares to air them.

At any rate, I believe you get what you give, so a leap of faith on my part is in order. This reminds me of the story with the man with the goose which lay golden eggs. I don't think, I only have five great ideas in my lifetime. If one should get stolen, you need to make the distinction between the value of one golden egg, or the goose, which keeps laying golden eggs. Here are a few original ideas for games. They all have different attributes. If the utopic thing should occur, that you want to use them in a game, please give me a shout, and I am sure we can work something out.

Lastly let me add that, my very best ideas, are of course still safe and sound in my little black book! ;-P