I think the gaming industry in general has use the passion that devs have for games as a good excuse to not pay more, which obviously has worked.

> The best thing was that the player base appreciated every one of us, and constantly thanked us for making things better.

I work in games and this is honestly one of my biggest drivers. I of course love the game as well and want to make it better, but community praise is just next level energy for me.

Over the last few years many of us at our studio have been doxxed, threatened, called on our personal phones, etc. and that can really take the wind out of my sails. But when you get some positive or constructive feedback about trying to make the game better it really helps.

Working in games has the opportunity to be such a collaborative process with coworkers and community and it is awesome when it works well.