What is acceptable to put in a portfolio?

Hey everyone, I am currently taking an Introduction to Video Games course at a community college which the syllabus has assured me is going to be more on learning about the industry and how to design games then just "oh you like games? then take this course". Our text book is The Game Maker's Apprentice and as you might have guess we use Game Maker. Our final project is to use the program to make our own game.
My question is whether game maker is a legitimate tool for making simple games and if I make a game that I am proud of will this be suitable for a portfolio when I finally get a bachelors or masters and start looking for a job? Also, are levels or scenarios designed in editors such as Warcraft/Starcraft or using something like Dragon Age worthy of putting in a portfolio some day?