It's an interesting question, with a lot of interesting responses - all of which can be construed as true.
But is the Indie game scene dying? We've seen games like Downfall come along, which, while free, still shows that there are coders out there willing to do something. And also Tales Of Gorluth II, which is using a pre-pay model to fund the work. Until this game is released it can be said that the Indie gaming scene still has some life.
I think that the point here is one that has already been mentioned - user base and associated sales play a part if we want good games. Very few coders will spend a year coding a game for a maximum of £3-4k return. Unless they can do it in their leisure time. And, again, it needs to be good enough to actually raise the cash.
ToG-II has a good sales model; create a view of expectation, get pre-orders, guarantee a sum of money, and then plan your development to fit a relevant timescale. Do this 3 times a year and you may (just) make some sort of living.
As for those who want to code for adoration and fame - we may be past those days, sadly. Those of us who move in Amiga (and other retro-gaming) circles will know the names, but there's not quite so many of us now as there was in the Amiga's heyday.
Personally, while there are still home brewers out there, there is still an indie scene. Aminet seems to get about 1 new upload a day, on average, so there is some degree of proof that Amigans are coding somewhere... Perhaps we just need to tempt them a little bit more
