I graduated from high school in the field of animation and game design so I guess I'm pretty fit to help lol:
Game design and animation can be overwhelming just to let you know. I'm sure you know this but from my experience budgeting time and having a clear idea of what you want beforehand is super important. I recommend creating a Google Docs sheet where you plan everything you want to do in a rough draft format. (For example, you would want to draw concept art for, and explanations for each level in said doc.) Basically just explain everything and anything from the levels to the story, as best you can so you know what you're working towards.
It's as if you're embarking on a journey, so it's best to be prepared before you start with all the right tools and such .
If you're working with a team, I recommend coordinating a new document in the same manner where you all provide updates as to what you're working on.
Coding is super time consuming. I recommend starting in C#, especially because you're new. Honestly that's the biggest thing for me that I would say learn the most you can about. However, when it comes to coding anyone who codes will know Google and YouTube are your best friends. Look up tutorials as much as you possibly can.
Game engine wise, Unity is amazing but it costs money. Its what I used for the game I made in highschool and I loved the organization.
If you want to go the completely free route I recommend Godot for sure. I've used it a little and it's great.
If you want to be super patient and learn the ropes, I say start off doing basic things in Scratch just to learn how coding/making a game actually works.
Program wise I have a few suggestions:
Blender is free and great for modeling, sculpting, animating, pixel art, video editing, etc. It's an all in one that is hard to grasp at first but I recommend it.
I personally haven't used these but my friends did and I know Gimp and Pixlr are good for pixel animation. I also know of Synfig.
I also want to mention studying other games and videos about them are great too. In game design we often studied popular games for their level design, their stories, etc.
Community wise I'm not so sure how good it is now but however I used to use Itch.io to upload anything or to go on the forums:
Another great place is Artstation. I'm not so fond of it these days because they allow AI art, especially without any labels, so people can fake it and steal jobs, etc. However the site has a place for creating a portfolio, looking at other people's works, applying for jobs, etc. The actual human art is mind-blowing.
Here's an example of someone I found on there through a game I played:
https://www.artstation.com/victorbecker
Overall I say organization and being prepared is key. It can all be overwhelming but the most important parts are passion and patience. Take it one step at a time and you'll get things done. I hope this helps . If you have any other questions I'll be glad to answer them.
Tutorial wise he's not uploading anymore but I watched him in highschool to get me through so many questions I had: