I can report responses from industry members in regards to making a living off of indie games.
Short answer: yes.
Long answer: yes, but only against the odds.
It takes a lot of consistent work, and not small amount of luck, to make net income in indie gaming. You have to treat it like the entrepreneurial venture it is, but you can succeed by the same virtues that work for other entrepreneurs. I recommend The Self-Publishing Podcast for plenty of actionable insight from three guys who actually make money writing self-published fiction (http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/).
Short answer: yes.
Long answer: yes, but only against the odds.
It takes a lot of consistent work, and not small amount of luck, to make net income in indie gaming. You have to treat it like the entrepreneurial venture it is, but you can succeed by the same virtues that work for other entrepreneurs. I recommend The Self-Publishing Podcast for plenty of actionable insight from three guys who actually make money writing self-published fiction (http://selfpublishingpodcast.com/).