I'd argue that the past year has been one of the best for the success of games that were the passion projects of smaller teams. Fall Guys, Among Us, Hades and Valheim are good examples that the industry isn't only soulless triple-A productions or quick cash grabs.
Super fun and cool, but given the context of their previous games, def in the iterative camp.
Also, they don't actually make dead cells, motion twin does
I am the complete opposite, I liked both, but Hades easily is the winner for me (and I am saying that as one of the very very early dead cells backers). Because they managed to refine the roguelike gameplay to almost-perfection, but the storytelling and writing are on a whole other level compared not only to other roguelikes, but a lot of games in general.
My advice for Hades is to give it about 2-3 hours of try, and then decide if you want to play more. Mostly because it takes about an hour or two until the game gives you all the essentials before releasing you into the world where you can play it "for real". Sort of like a less extreme version of Red Dead Redemption 2, which requires you playing 10+ hours to finally to be able to play it "for real" (referring to having to get to chapter 2 or so, before you can free roam and enjoy sidequests and start doing things at your own pace).
There's lots of indie games that don't have those issues.
But, the problem with making games is the same problem with art or music or opening a coffee shop or becoming a doctor or nurse: it's something that people want to do, and so supply will overwhelm demand until conditions and pay get bad enough to outweigh the romantic appeal.
Programmers in the game industry are treated much worse on average, than programmers working on in-house CRUD apps.
(Similarly, I assume working conditions at Tesla and SpaceX must be comparatively bad. Not necessarily absolutely bad, but compared to what the people working there could get elsewhere.)
That was it. I was openly showing management displeasure and they found a reason to fire me soon thereafter. I went into VFX and never looked back.
As far as a future for the games industry - they need a whole #I_was_enslaved_too movement. I won't even get into the difficultly in getting anyone in the game industry to recognize the need for better industry ethics across the board - in every aspect, every nook and every cranny of the industry it is corrupted pretty extreme.
It's so sad to hear these stories. Game development has such great potential to be a stimulating workplace in the mix of tech, storytelling and art. On paper it is a fantastic blend. Alas, everyone I've spoken to that's been in the industry has similar horror stories to share. The workforce seems to be regarded as expendable. Investments dictates strategy that ends up being anti-consumer. Maybe this is the same thing that happens in TV or music, when you have big money combined with an endless supply of dreamers that wants to be part of it no matter what?
For someone who is interested in making games (like yours truly), the only viable way forward appears to be the hobbyist/indie route. To ever get discovered without a herculean effort and a massive dollop of luck seems quite unlikely though.
The last game that blew me away from a sound perspective was Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. They used sound in just the ways I imagined it could be used. It is sad that people don't dare to try more stuff like this. Games could be a great artform, but the money/power structures we live in make them cashcows first and foremost.