If you're good at learning stuff, use Visual Basic for starters then move on to C++. for "quick" learning, download tutorial projects and stuff off youtube and shit. I know some simple crap in visual basic, and i have a friend who is amazing at VB so either i or him could help you most likely.
download: http://www.microsoft.com/express/vb/Default.aspx
platformer project (its in 3d from what i can tell, but you could probably learn partially how its supposed to look): http://www.bigresource.com/Tracker/Track-vb-9LZMKf3QGa/
download: http://www.microsoft.com/express/vb/Default.aspx
platformer project (its in 3d from what i can tell, but you could probably learn partially how its supposed to look): http://www.bigresource.com/Tracker/Track-vb-9LZMKf3QGa/