You're right in some sense, I mean, software engineering is a skill that lots of companies outside of the video game industry will pay quite well for.

Still, it seems like there is a large oversupply of people who really want to work specifically on video games, and I think they deserve better working conditions than this, right? In an ideal world, there wouldn't be this Faustian bargain of "You can work on what you love, or you can be treated well at work."

trouble is, over here in Europe, nobody is paying.