> “Make games, not engines” is fine advice in general but you can make an engine for your specific game

Back in the day, I guess the advice just meant to focus on getting a game out and not worry about "making a reusable engine" (ie even if you write all the code from scratch, don't over engineer, don't worry about "possible future games", just focus on what the game needs right now). While that original meaning has shifted, I think the general advice still stands and you shouldn't make your own engine if your goal is to make a game, unless you have a specific need, but even in this case, I think making your own engine is only a good idea if you have made games before and have some experience. If its your first game, even if you have a specific need, its a terrible idea.

I say that as someone who has tinkered with making various engines, but I always went into it knowing I wouldn't finish any games, since I enjoy tinkering with low level "system" code and also found it a great learning experience. However, if I ever want to make an actual game, I'd use one of the popular engines, for sure!