[pandaman]

There are few high paid contractors in games, usually brought in to save a failing title. All these I know are engineers, not artists, high profile artists are usually commissioned (i.e. they sell their art without ever showing on site and probably don't even know what studio is buying their work).

Normally a contractor is a "employee -1" - same low pay but no benefits and even less job security. They don't get invited to meetings and are less privy of the internal politics. Most of them are working hard to become an FTE.