I imagine aspiring game designers like people here would love Second Life. Second Life is free to play, and free to download the client. Any 2 year old PC should handle it fine. You may have heard people mention SL is expensive but you pay no money monthly if you don't own land. In there you can use your skills to build stuff in their world, such as 3D objects and you can also attach scripts to them.
Me and other Final Fantasy fans have been doing just that. A talented brit has recreated Midgar and made teleport stations, Shinra's Lab and even a Chocobo costume for your 3D avatar almost 50 people roleplay there, having their avatars work at ShinRa and be Turks, scientists, etc... I have been a lot more modest but managed to create a replica of Besaid and Kilika. In my 3 islands residents are allowed to create 3D objects and such, as long as they are FF related. One of our members made us Kilika huts, a teleport sphere, a Jecht sphere and now is building Cid's airship at "Bikanel". A SL boat maker is making us an SS Liki where 20 people can sail between Kilika and Besaid and I built Besaid Temple with Fayth Stone and hymn included.
The boat maker also made us a throw able blitzbal, Kimahri's lance and also a "Summoner Dance" dance floor were your avatar can walk on water and dance amid pyreflies to the sound of the hymn of the fayth. See it below. There is a lot of stuff that can be done still. I won't rest till I get Blitzball going (someone in SL has done soccer and avatars in SL can fly and swim under water so it is technically possible).
Join me if you want to try your hand at 3D object building and scripting, to help celebrate 20 years of Final Fantasy!
Check it out at:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/hybris/62/85/24/ [ "BIKANEL ISLAND"
http://slurl.com/secondlife/FairChang%20Oasis/150/184/22 "BESAID BEACH"
http://slurl.com/secondlife/FairChang%20Oasis/179/48/25 "KILIKA"
