Here are some Game Design links:

XNA Game Studio 3.1 - (English) Product DescriptionClose Window
Overview XNA Game Studio 3.1 enables hobbyists, academics, and independent game developers to easily create video games for Windows, Xbox 360, and the Zune digital media player by using optimized cross-platform gaming libraries based on the .NET Framework in the C# programming language. This release is incremental to XNA Game Studio 3.0 and contains many new features, including avatars, Xbox LIVE Party support, and video as well as enhancements to existing features. For the full list of improvements in this release, see the “What’s New in XNA Game Studio 3.1” section of the documentation once you have installed the product. System Requirements Supported Operating Systems: Windows Vista Service Pack 1; Windows XP Service Pack 3 Hardware requirements are identical to those for Visual Studio 2008, plus a graphics card that supports DirectX 9.0c and Shader Model 1.1 (Shader Model 2.0 is recommended and required for some Starter Kits). Zune development requires the Zune 3.0 firmware. Instructions If XNA Game Studio 3.0 is installed, uninstall it before proceeding. Install Microsoft Visual C# 2008 Express Edition or Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Standard Edition or higher. Obtain the latest updates for Visual Studio from Microsoft Update. Download and run the Microsoft XNA Game Studio 3.1 installer. Follow the instructions displayed during setup. Launch Visual Studio 2008 from the Microsoft XNA Game Studio 3.1 folder on the Start Menu.

This is available for free from the Microsoft Alliance for City College students taking CNIT courses.

There is also Virtual PC for Mac users so they can run PC software on their Mac, again for free. When you scroll through the available software for free, the Game Design software is the last one on the list.

http://msdn06.e-academy.com/elms/Storefront/Storefront.aspx?campus=CCoSF_IT&np1=112

that is the link for the free PC software.

Free game design software I found online:

http://www.adigitaldreamer.com/game-design-software.htm

http://www.yoyogames.com/make

http://www.gamediscovery.com/game-design/game-design-software.asp

http://download.cnet.com/Video-Game-Design-Pro/3000-6675_4-10759739.html

This particular software may be just what is needed and the free 14 day trial may be all we need to do our class project. Also the price isn't outrageous if you plan on being a game designer, we may be able to get student/instructor discounts as well, worth checking into I think.

http://www.smartdraw.com/specials/gamedesign.asp?id=41371

Some tools that would come in handy when doing our project, and it's free!

http://www.adventuremaker.com/

http://www.dmoz.org/Games/Video_Games/Game_Design/Development_Tools_and_Software/

The above is a list of links, I didn't take the time to check it all out, but there is undoubtedly useful stuff here.

http://www.free-games.com.au/Free_Game_Making_Software/index.html

http://www.freemmorpgmaker.com/index.php

http://www.gamemaker.nl/ another freebie for beginners in game design

http://www.engine001.com/

gamemaker.htmhttp://www.idevgames.com/ another worthwhile site for game design info in general