I see that your signature is "polygon pusher" which if your into games, then that's a good thing. I reckon one of your immediate challenges will be trying to switch from 3dMax to Maya.
I won't be very much help but one thing I've learned from this forum is that for gaming, it's better to have fewer polygons, so I'm thinking for your purposes, maybe focus on low poly models and character design.
Don't be satisfied with what you can do but rather strive to do the things you can't do!
Exceed Expectations!