Would Microsoft Visual C++ be good for a beginning 14 year old interested in game design?

Oh, and I don't want to do Java...

That's going to depend on a bunch of things. I presume when you say "beginning" you mean "never programmed a computer before".

In that case, it's going to be rough. C++ is not for the feint of heart.

But if the 14-year-old in question is smart and will stick to it, then C++ is a good environment to use.

Java would be another good choice and perhaps easier to learn.

If I were going to write games, I'd use Eclipse (www.eclipse.org). It's free. And I'd write either in C++ or Java depending on my mood and target platform.

Well, yes.

If you have mastered HTML, Php, (maybe) Javascript, and (maybe) Java, that would be a great start :)

Yes, it would. You have to go through a lot of basics, but eventually you will get it.

C++ is good, But also consider Java, it's a similar language, and a lot of games are now java based, esp in the mobile gaming areas

I'm assuming you're using Windows, so here are a few good places to start learning game design. Microsoft Visual C++ might be too advanced, depending on previous knowledge of programming.

http://www.blitzmax.com/
http://www.garagegames.com/products/torq...
http://www.ruby-lang.org/en/
http://unity3d.com/
http://realbasic.com/
http://www.yoyogames.com/gamemaker/

Yes and no.

The C-family is on par with most game-scripting environments.

But...before learning anything C, I would recommend learning the basics of VB. Things like loops, arrays, functions...things that are really the basics of ANY language...they are just easier to learn in Visual Basic (at least, they were for me...).

Of course, if you are a wiz with all this stuff already, by all means go out and get yourself into C.

Best of luck to ya. Starting early like this is definately something I wish I would have done..

C++ especially Visual C++ is rather difficult for beginners, I would recommend Visual C# with XNA studio

You should learn programming first. Learning a language before you learn programming creates bad habits. Like anything, getting good at programming, games or anything else, takes time and effort.

Get a copy of Wirth's "Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs". Then learn C if you want to write games that run on the user's computer. If you want to write web-based games, learn javascript, html. css, SQL and php.