That does baffle me. Why go to all the trouble just to make a clone of something that's been done hundreds of times (and likely much better?) The only reason I can see for doing that is just to learn how to use the tools. Still, though, I think your views are bit overly pessimistic. Surely, there are great hobby coders out there who are eager to try new things.

I find it relatively easy to use something like Gamemaker, but the hard part is the polish. When you get right down to it, making a game is easy; making a good game is very, very difficult. I think that's why somebody Shigeru has been so successful--not so much the brilliance of his game concepts, but rather the amazing amount of work he's willing to put in to make sure every detail is as polished as humanly possible.