I wish I could make my own indie games without a group? is that possible even if I have to take 12 years?
Picking a random N64 wrestling game, WWF War Zone, it was made by:
1x Producer, 1x Project Manager, 6x Game Designer, 11x Game Programmer, 1x Engine Programmer, 4x Sound Engineer, 1x Lead Artist, 5x 3D Artist, 5x Animator, 5x Artists, 17x QA.
Plus outsourcing of: ~a dozen motion capture people, ~two dozen QA people.
The engine programmer had 17 years experience in game programming and porting.
So, to make a game engine, first spend 4 years learning to program so you have the capability to begin. Then, make a bunch of games with existing engines so you have familiarity with the subject. And then at some point when you don't have to ask how hard it is, then you're ready get started on your own engine.
Then spend another 4 years learning 2D and 3D art. Make a bunch of games in these roles so you have familiarity and experience.
Then spend a few more years learning animation theory and practice, and make a bunch more games as an animator.
After making all these games, you've probably practiced a bit of game design, so we'll cross that off.
Now, after about 12 years of warming up, you're ready to begin! Assuming that WWF War Zone took 1 year to make (with each of the people listed above doing 1 year of work), you've only got about 12 years of programming, 11 years of art, 5 years of animation, but add another decade or so of wasting time trying to keep track of the plan, QA'ing your own work, and fiddling with the game design. If you're lucky, you'll be done by mid century ![:D biggrin.png](http://public.gamedev5.net//public/style_emoticons/default/biggrin.png)
Or you could, you know, not try and remake games solo which originally had teams of ~50 people making them.
Just focus on making things that you pretty much already know how to make, pushing your own limits a little bit in the process. Over time, you'll keep learning more and more about all these different skills, and eventually you will know what's actually involved in making massive games like this.
The general rule of thumb is: If you have to ask how hard something is for you to do, it's not even worth asking yet. If you don't know what's involved (in order to answer your own question) then you're not ready to even begin.