I can somewhat relate as the creator of fy_iceworld (if you believe). The one who commented on the Rock Paper Shotgun article.

The quote from the NY Times article, "it allows amateurs to add imagination with limited resources." is exactly what I was feeling at that time. I knew nothing about programming, had minimal art skills, but was able to create CS maps.

It makes me nostalgic and wonder, "What if I started making a mod or a game today?" I really miss those golden days of modding.