What is the best software for making a video game

That's a loaded question. Different software fills different roles.

For example, Unity is very popular among hobbyists and professionals alike. It's incredibly powerful but requires that the user takes time to learn its workings. It is also fairly essential that the user knows C# or J#.

Game Maker is simpler. You can use it without coding for very simple games or learn GML (a simple, easy 'Game Maker Language' programming language) to augment its capabilities. In the right hands, Game Maker is very powerful but is better used for smaller (especially 2D) games without large computational costs.

I cannot submit links but a google search for "Game Engine Analysis and Comparison" brings up an excellent article for comparing the major game making softwares available.

Personally, I'd recommend trying Game Maker. It's especially good for gently introducing people to programming, object oriented code and working with graphics.