Going back to school considerations.

EmperorSeth

Here's a short version of my problem. For a while now, I thought about going back to school. I was laid off last month, so these considerations got a lot more likely. If I do go back to school, I want to start in August or so, as my lease runs out anyway, and without a job in the neighborhood, I shouldn't really stay here.

As for what I want to go back to school for, the answer is some sort of game design. I missed my chance in first time around. I graduated from high school in 1997, the only real school for that on the continent was Digipen, and so I became a computer science major on the assumption that was the only real way to get into the industry. Hey, turns out it wasn't! More importantly, I'm growing to hate programming quickly, so I don't really mind being laid off if not for the financial strain.

I need to know where to start, though. What schools should I look into (preferably in the Chicago area?) What sort of financial options do I have? What majors, classes, etc. should I focus on? Should I try to get a masters, or are just a few classes the better option? Any advice would be appreciated.