Some people's brains are wired in a way so that Python is easier for them than C++ is. It's more preference than how easy or popular the language is. You don't need to add a semicolon at the end of each statement. Some people might find that it gives much freedom, less errors to occur, etc.

Just like people said above... Python's just amazing, a nice prototyping simple to write.

Hey how about Haxe then? Seems to be a nice cross-platform language with some nice 2d game engines/framework, you can create Desktop, Web B/F, Mobile on a single language.

For swift... there's a long road ahead, it's too young yet.

I recommend it because it is relatively simple to learn, doesn't require complex editors and projects and other steps that can cause problems, and is useful in the long run.

Python serves as a good language to cut your teeth on the basics of programming because the consequences of doing things wrong are not as difficult to deal with as they are in C and C++. Despite being approachable the language is fairly commonplace.

There is an enormous body of Python code out in the world. It is extremely common in build systems for games, and for tools at some shops. If you're looking to build a quick-and-dirty tool, Python is one of many tools that is convenient to have in your toolbox.

There are several languages that professional programmers should be comfortable with. Not necessarily expert-level, but good enough. Right now those tend to include C++, Java, C#, Javascript+Html, and Python. Add SQL to that list if you're touching anything related to databases. It is reasonable to expect that you could throw some code in those languages to any professional programmer today and expect them to understand it and be able to work with it.

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Further, programmers are expected to keep their skills current and learn new languages and tools, the same way doctors are expected to keep current on the latest medical tools and techniques, the same way lawyers are expected to keep current on current law and precedent, and mechanics are expected to keep current on modern vehicles tools and parts and techniques. A good way to do that is learning a new language approximately once per year.

Python is easy and that's why people recommend it however c++ is the way to go. Newbs need to cry at least 300 tears of frustration before they're real programmers. Anyone agree?

Personally I love Python. I use it at work all of the time to develop scripts to make my life easier. One of the things I really like about it is that it is a batteries included language. If I need to do something there is a good chance that there are modules that make it simple to do it. For instance there are built in modules for parsing command line options, built in XML parsing, built in json parsing, built in sockets, built in regular expressions.. I can quickly put things together and accomplish results.

I have created Python scripts that parse monitor EDID information, scripts that handle tape drive swapping, scripts that work with data in spreadsheets, scripts that handle complex build tasks, scripts that help find patterns in log files, and tons more.

That being said use what you feel comfortable using. If Python is not your thing then learn something else. The key is to pick something and practice. You learn programming and get better at programming through writing lots and lots of programs. As you write programs you will run into situations where you ask yourself if there is a better way to do something and then you will learn new techniques.

I like trying to find the shortest and simplest ways to accomplish my goals as a programmer. The programming language I use does not matter to me. What matters to me is the task that I have in front of me to solve and for that I want the language that provides the most productivity per character.

I am an iOS developer and I strongly recommend against using swift as a first language. If you like the Swift syntax and want to play around with functional programming then choose Scala. Swift is a language that I have to use because Apple forced it upon me.

My main gripe with Swift is that yes it does have some cool features but, in the real world it does not work the way apple tells us it does. Yes if you demonstrate it in a Playground with some comp science 101 algorithm then it looks like it uses less code and looks pretty. However when you actually use it in the real world with Apples libraries it ends up requiring a fuck ton of boiler plate code and looks ugly. Something simple like downloading a json file from a remote server and storing it in a dictionary takes around 5 lines of code in Objective-C doing it in Swift in a safe manner requires around 20 lines.
Also the language is continually changing and these changes keep breaking compilation. Apple have said that from Swift 3 there will be no more breaking changes but, I really wouldn't trust them.

The reason people suggest Python is because it has so many uses and because it does have a huge community behind it.

Want to right your first 2D game?
Python can do it
Want to write a single page web app?
Python
Want to right an extension Blender or Gimp?
Python
Want to earn a 6 figure salary as a Quantitive Analyst?
Then you need to learn Python