There's something a bit absurd about sticking an OOP layer on a brackets-and-braces language.
I like brackets-and-braces.
Why not, at that point, admit that you want to be abstracted from the way the computer works and use a language that cares more about making things easy for the programmer than the compiler?
C++ is still the fastest OOP language in existence (with the right compiler). That's important for game engines.
It's not that there's anything wrong with C but that it's 2008 and a game (rather than system/platform/engine) developer shouldn't have to concern himself with which .a files to link
What's an .a file? I use C++ all the time, and I never have to worry about that stuff :)
game dev should equal high-level scripting by now, granting access to the creatively minded rather than just the technically minded.
Yeah, a lot of games these days can be done with high level scripts like Python, but do you expect to code the 3D engine, pathfinding, etc. in a language like that? Of course not, that would be insane. Engines are programmed in fast C++, while high level game logic can be done in slow scripts. This way your artists (creatively minded people) can work on scripts, while the engine programmers (technically minded people) can work on the engine, with optimal efficiency on both sides.
The glyphs are what put me off C++ too. What's wrong with words?!
Once you get used to them, C++'s symbols become an acceleration - a productivity booster. You can type more code logic in less time, and it's every bit as understandable once you learn it.