New to game development

Hi! I'm interested in game development(hopefully become an indie game developer someday but not today) and I started learning c++ awhile ago. Anyways, I began with Python(3-4 months,4 hrs a day) and pygame but after looking for books in Amazon, and reading forums I saw that most people recommended c++, and books would usually use c++. Well, learning c++ will probably take sometime time, but while learning it I still want to make some games. So my question is, what tools do you recommend for making games aside from game maker( XNA game studio etc.). I want to make games like those in the experimental gameplay project, just small simple games.

Did I make the right choice in studying c++? Because I kind of really like python but in the long run I feel the I can learn more about c++ since most of the game development books use it.

-resources on starting game development would be much appreciated

Thanks!
-Tristan

1. Try one of many C++ Tutorials on the web, to get a better grasp on the language.
2. When you're a syntax expert I recommend messing about with OpenGL tutorial code from NeHe here: http://nehe.gamedev.net/.
   Read bits of http://www.parashift.com/c++-faq/ whenever you have time. It's good fun and an easy read. (or perhaps even buying the book someday)
3. Reflect on everything you learn, and consider whether some of your modified NeHe projects could be reorganized to look or work better.
4. When you think you know almost anything worth knowing about C++, see Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software, and also take a look at Clean Code. -These books supply you with a good insight in modularity, best practice and general advice.
5. For a graphics enthustiast, the real time rendering book http://www.realtimerendering.com/ is a great read with good examples on various modern rendering techniques. Many of those, though, can be found online with a little searching.

Did I make the right choice in studying c++?