And lack of benefits and perquisites enjoyed by similar workers in other segments of the software industry. And being laid off two weeks before Christmas with no notice after your game ships to retail. And having no social life because you are working 60 to 70 hours a week. There is also absolutely no reason not to suck on the lit end of road flare, either. Now that I think of it, the two are more similar than I first considered.
Passion is where it begins.
If you don't have a passion for playing games and burning need to create them, your chances of getting hired to make them are quite low. It is the first thing producers and executive producers look for during an interview. While I have never sucked on a lit road flare, I do know the kind of passion it takes to put up with the sweatshop-like atmosphere that passes for working conditions at most game developers and publishers. Of course, once the reality of the situation hits them, that attitude disappears faster than a sailor's promise when the anchor rises. The other side of that coin is that most wannabes won't do what it takes to be part of the game development community.