Hi there! I am new to game development and I want to make a game and possible pursue the topic as a career in my future. I am currently 13 and have pretty much no experience with game development. I don't really know where to start learning how to develop games. I have a list of a few game ideas that I want to make in the future, one of them being a rapid mini-game game. I would appreciate it if you could tell me a good place to start learning.
One option is to pick a programming language and start learning it. Python or C# are good choices for first languages.
Another option is to pick up a tool like Game Maker, or a high level engine like Unity or Unreal, and start learning that.
Learning to program will take longer, and you'll spend more time focusing on the basics of programming by building text-based console mode games. In contrast, learning something like Unity or Unreal will let you get started much faster building fairly complicated graphical games. But you will ultimately need to learn some sort of programming or programming-like logic thinking in order to really customize and tailor what you can do with those engines.
It will largely be a matter of how much instant gratification you need to satisfy your creative interest. I would personally recommend you dedicate a few days to trying to learn Python and making a simple text-based game like "guess the number" or hangman. Then switch gears and spend a few days trying to build something simple in Unreal or Game Maker. Think about which you enjoyed more and go from there.
Hello and Welcome!
Actually getting started depends a lot on your choice.
If you want help making a choice and getting started in general, this will help
http://www.gamefromscratch.com/post/2011/08/04/I-want-to-be-a-game-developer.aspx
You'll find answers to a lot of frequently asked questions by beginners here
