[simonjgreen]

You could invert this question and it would be equally valid.

The question is why the gulf, rather than why the lag. Why is big tech pay so high?

When you compare it to other trades and industries video game dev pay is much more “normal”

[psvv]

Flipping the question like this was my instinct as well. I think the passion tax and supply and demand are definitely factors, but the real reason for the gap is that big tech has gotten increasingly exploitative and monopolistic, leading to larger margins and higher competition for talent.