So what if you don't have much art skill or much money?
You make a MUD server? Haha - self deprecation is so fun sometimes. ;)
I'm one of the new kids on the block here. I just wanted to say thanks to Mr. Alien for his contributions (both blogs, insights, bugs discovered, etc) and of course a big congratulations on getting a couple games out the door in such a quick manner. Stories like these help keep me motivated and on track as I tend to be a bit more of a dreamer and idealist that a pragmatist who ever finishes what he started.
In regards to the difficulty of breaking into the casual market, in some respects I think this is a good thing - at least for the casual gamers and/or jaded 'core' gamers. The current key casual gameplay models are already being dominated by the bigger names in the industry and as you said, it'll be extremely difficult to compete with them since they'll have much more money and manpower to throw around. This'll force the casual developers to explore innovative mechanics & invent new genre's if they hope to have a fighting chance.
Of course, I suppose that's a bleak outcome for the indie dev's that are just out to make a buck. I think a lot of indie dev's though really *want* to make something unique and original but are too tempted by the lucrative market of the comparatively 'easy' to develop popular casual games (not saying they are easy by any means -- finishing any game is a monumental task -- but treading down a well trodden path is a bit safer than running full steam ahead into a dark jungle). Once that lucrative market becomes unattainable by the lone or small team indie dev they'll have no excuse not to work on the projects they really want to work on.
I think the Wii is proving that gamers, both core and casual, are ready and willing to embrace change. The Wii could benefit indie dev's as a whole, really, if it manages to bring in a lot of non-gamers. Those converted non-gamers will never be likely to go pick up the latest AAA title, but may very well start to poke around on the internet for interesting/innovative games - and that's a good thing for us indie dev's.
While it might be a bit hasty to say that the current gaming paradigm is ready to implode, I don't doubt that gaming and gamers (especially the converted 'non-gamers') will experience a sort of renaissance in the next couple of years.
Okay, enough of my rambling. I've got to stop posting immediately after waking up. :)