There's a lot of work inside an AAA title. Most of it isn't programming. Back in the 1990s, the big problem was technical - building an engine that could handle a big complex world. That's mostly solved. Now it's mostly large amounts of artwork, plotting, sound, character movement, and construction. That takes lots of hours.

As for "spurn the computer game industry", that should apply to jobs. The working conditions are terrible. They need to be unionized, like Hollywood.