The difference is that Hollywood is up front about it and you sign temporary contract etc. Game companies tend to sign normal employment contracts, promiss long term employment and heaven, exploit you during development and fire you later on (occasionally just before you would collect benefits).

Maybe I'm wrong, but I think that game developers did not used to be hired for one project in the past. It is a thing of last years. They used to be hired by company and worked on multiple games there. Bad development practices used to be norm all the time through.

Which does not apply to parent who is up front about the whole thing.

Of course. There's a bit of delusional idea that games are somehow sustainable business model (admiteddly, they _are_ for some genres).

But, yes, that's the nature of business. This, to me, is a bit like complaining how war-time journalists don't get to spend enough time with their families and are at life risk. It's the biz, and, I'm sorry to be slightly verbally violent, get tougher skin or gtfo. Plenty of sustainable software/design/management roles in various spheres for you if you can't take it.