Always mind, that for such a way of life, you'll need a social safety net (which always was my biggest problem but managed to get it somehow). Maybe one day you'll get rich with your own inventions, maybe you get by, maybe you'll stay poor, but there will definitely be very dry periods and those are the kind of moments when truely reliable and honest friends are of significant importance.

I see the term "live performance" often used this way to distinguish actual performances on real instruments from stuff glued together in a sequencer and I consider this use legit even if the term is more commonly used to distinguish a concert from a studio performance. The "real instruments" thing isn't any better because stuff created via virtual instruments is ultimately also based on recordings of real instruments, only the point at which the recording happened differs (and that's not just me talking out of my ass, it's exactly what Hans Zimmer also said about soundtrack production and how he justifies sometimes working only with virtual instruments rather than hiring and recording an orchestra each time).

Anyway, there's literally tons of games out there with OSTs using "real instruments" as you put it and truth is that even in indie games you can occasionally find them. I'm sure you've heard them many times without even noticing it.

Y'know Ive lost more through indecision than I ever have by making poor decisions.

I notice a lot of samples but seldom really someone playing it, Bastion had musicians in the credits and it was already obvious ingame.
I don't differentiate between samples, programmed music is all the same to me and an entirely different thing than someone playing it.

Same here.

It's probably less of a risk in Hungary than it would be in the US. The cost of living there is presumably lower than it is in the US and you can probably sell your services overseas and get paid more than you would locally.

It all depends upon how you do it. It's certainly something that can be done.
Indeed. At one point I literally rolled a dice to figure out what I was going to do next. Seems to have worked out alright. Bad decisions can usually be fixed, but failing to make one at all is pretty much fatal to any endeavor.

Very true. I clued into this when I heard a quote from the Sopranoes (don't remember the context or even the episode) and it really stuck with me. I'm not a risk taker at all but I am trying to dive into things more. Sever anxiety doesn't help tho.

i'll give the dice a shot.

I am 36 have three first class degrees, but educated myself into a corner and no-one wants to employ me :). A combo of natural sciences, social sciences AND arts is rather too unusual for most person specs. (Building a freelance career slowly, now). But I don't think I am quite done with studying yet. There's at least two subjects that I'd like to have a degree in ...

Oh, this hasn't even occured to me. The cost of living here IS lower than in the US. Huh. Thanks for your good point :)
I usually use coins :)

Klumpen's Air Guitars?

Degrees... Gotta catch em all!

UPDATE:
I made an intro thingy, so as you can see, I've chosen YouTube over the other possibilities. It's not public since it still needs work - feedback is appreciated. :) (I also started working on a game, but it's in a state that I'm not willing to show off yet :D)

Taking risks is what life is all about :) This post of mine touches on a few that I have taken and am about to take :)

Oh my god, you're insane! ...the good kind of insane, that is :D

That's up for debate, but it is fun going on these adventures! I sure do appreciate a hot bath and roof over my head after "roughing it" for weeks or months on end. It seems to wake me up and realise that life ain't so bad and calms my inner struggles.

Pal. Been there, done that. I was FORCED to abandon my university field, due to the actions of certain people against me. They involved me in some things and implicated me into some other ones, putting even other persons in their "endeavors" against me, faqued me up big time and good (public ridicule, constructed evidence and fake accusations involved), and there i was, quitting. I know this story is different to yours; but i feel urged, compelled, to talk to you.

DON'T. Just don't. Quit it. Complete it, take your certificate. It is very bad for you if you lack qualifications of this type. Also, screw the damn paper, if you feel like it... Watch the lessons, learn MOST things you can, there is a ton of useful stuff to learn and later use, in lessons, any lessons.

Youtuber? Forget it. Won't get you far. Voice actor? If you are female, beautiful, and willing to participate in shady "events" before becoming famous and/or accepted into certain media/projects, then yes, might work, and still, not totally certain. Writer, like artist, is a poor investment. Most artists become famous and their work gets value, post mortem, after their lifetime ends. Game developer could work, if you really know how and are skilled into it.

I wish you the very best. But please promise you won't quit because you are going to regret it??