Genesis3D: http://www.genesis3d.com/
OGRE: http://ogre.sourceforge.net/
NeoEngine: http://neoengine.sourceforge.net/
Cube: http://wouter.fov120.com/cube/

Those are a few I liked in the past. If you want more, like tools, ask.

Ah, well, concerning game programming, it''s best to start small. When your C++ skills get to intermediate you can jump right into things. Start with the classic tetris. Then something like space invaders or pacman. After this point, try something else you like. I personally like those airplane shoot ''em ups, and they are fun to code. So my advice would be to pull together a lot of ideas for a few days, and spend a few weeks making a really fun game. 3D game programming gets extremely complex because of the difficult math and involved techniques. But learning 3D graphics programming and techniques is very fun. It''ll take years of dedication -- or actually, a life time, since you never stop learning -- but it''s worth it all the way. Finding inspiration for 3D games in your ability is a little more difficult. Continue with 2D games but try to make more complex ones, and for 3D ones, try to pull together demos (maybe a few interactive ones), and addictive titles like puzzle games. Just a few ideas to help ya out.

Yeah, I''m a fan of those types as well. Well, just stick to it.
Those 3D beasts require a very strong math background, and years of work and learning. Though, if you''re like me, the harder the challenge, the more I''m turned on. hehe