I know that writing all of this down in notepad isn't gonna create a video game, so what's the specific software for that.

Answer 1

If you're just starting out I'd recommend unity, it's free and runs of c# or JavaScript.

Of course if you're in to something more serious there's also a free version of UnrealEngine although it's not quite as user friendly as unity it's a bit more advanced. UE can run c++ scripts.

You could theoretically make a game writing code in any texteditor assuming you have an engine to run it of.

Also for graphics I'd recommend using Blender, again a free software and it's easy to use and export your finished models.

Answer 2

I used Torque 3D in my Game Design class and it was actually really user friendly and easy to use basic programming knowledge is needed. more design skills needed but Torque 3D is nice!