It has all been said above,,,  these people know what they are talking about......

my input goes like this:  All of the applications you mentioned... Maya, Max. Poser..etc...  can be used for making games..  they are only a part of the whole...  What you have not posted is your experience in the multi fasted game of making games... 

are you proficient in any of those programs you mentioned?  Are you familiar with programing languages... C++ etc...  ?? 
If you are going to learn these APPs  and want to just get your feet wet now, there are many games engines that are well supported and they give detailed tutorials on making maps for their game(s) or how to make your own games using their engine.. 

BTW.. People are making money using those engines (with the help of those companies)... for a small commission of course...

Otherwise.. you'll have to make your own game engine from scratch.... outch!  and deal with a plethora of Apps and programing languages.....  BTW.. no such thing anymore as a one man team doing the entire game from top to bottom...  You might want to team up with another enthusiast  as a joint venture...

Hope it helped

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