I would say it is definitely easier to start doing 2D stuff related to games. You can work on textures and stuff which is very useful to know in games. For 3D software 3D studio max is prob the major player and cost like $4,000. There is Blender which is free and very extensive. I would goto the blender website and look at the gallery to see what you can accomplish with it and try and find some tutorials.
mikeandike22 18 Nearly a Posting Virtuoso