Anyone program their own video games??

[slang]

Hello all

I'm looking to create an interactive video simulation as a class project. Basically a video game that has some industrial use for training and demonstrating the real world effects of variations in the manufacturing process.

There are many 3d game engines available for doing this type of project . On the cheap side is the 3d game studio ( $100 ) and the high end the pro version of the 3d studio max ($3500 ). 3ds max does have a student edition but I would like to be able to distribute this and other projects in the future.

Does any one here create their own sims or games? What game engine do you use? How does it compare to the 2 I listed? What software do you craft your models from?

There are specific forums that speak to gaming but I would like to see if there are any regulars here that are fluent before I seek advice from them.

Thanks

slang