3d rendering/animation/game freeware

I tried to find a program that would allow 3d animation for a couple of reasons: (1) so I could animate some of the karate moves my son is supposed to learn as a visual aid. (2) To learn to make a simple game and hopefully be able to teach my son some basic skills.

Stop snickering!

It appears that all the free software demands development of serious skills to accomplish this. I ran across two packages. One called Blender, which used to be proprietary and had apparently been used by a TV station for making some shows. The name of the other one is called TrueSpace. They share a common jargon and seem to be difficult to pick up on. I said that already but it is still true.