Your thoughts are pretty closely tied to the number of massively successful games being dwarfed by massively successful startups but they're both extremely rare and they both fight their way through tons of competition to get to the top of their fields.
Plus the bit where game developers are happy to make minimum wage while everyone else is more expensive sounds imaginary.
YC has funded a ton of companies, very few of which have/will generate huge rewards, one of which was a game company.
It's true, web or mobile startup are in the "cool/shiny" category with a lot of competition. Still it appears that you find more people willing to put up with horrible conditions and low salary in the game industry.
I know most game developers make more than the minimum wage, but
I'm talking in reference to the article - that illustrates that these people exist.
"I’d like to be able to pay myself a wage of ~$1k/mo (around 2/3 minimum wage) for future projects, to accommodate a similar lifestyle."
Later: "Altogether, this is a somewhat exciting success for me. I’m making just barely what I need to keep going, which allows me to stay independent without the burden of success or wealth. Cutting so close to my bare necessities is frightening and unstable, but ultimately it’s an emotional trade-off."
That's why there was a race to the bottom in mobile games prices, and that's why you'll find 10 similar games when there should be a market only for one.
This article is about a bootstrapped startup whose product is a game - they have chosen to do this instead of a good salary, in search of a giant payday. They're being paid what they can afford to pay, not what established companies do pay.
iOS has barely more than one million apps total. That number gets a lot smaller on other platforms within reach of an indie developer. These guys and many more are not struggling because there's "too much competition" they just haven't made a popular product.
Plus the bit where game developers are happy to make minimum wage while everyone else is more expensive sounds imaginary.
YC has funded a ton of companies, very few of which have/will generate huge rewards, one of which was a game company.