If OP wants to make game dev the focus, then PICO-8 or TIC-80 is the way to go. Their constraints are a good thing when you don't know what you don't know. With

If OP wants to make game dev the focus, then PICO-8 or TIC-80 is the way to go. Their constraints are a good thing when you don't know what you don't know. With the asset pipeline built in, you don't get bogged down researching pixel editors and libraries for importing sprite sheets or map tiles. You can get things drawn on the screen satisfyingly FAST.