If you just do side projects because you think it will help your portfolio you shouldn't work on side projects. I work on my side projects because I find it fun

If you just do side projects because you think it will help your portfolio you shouldn't work on side projects. I work on my side projects because I find it fun to do, the experience I get from that, like any experience, helps me in my day to day job. I am fine with you cracking up over 'normal programmers' like me vs would-be video game developers I get in at 8:45 and leave at 17:10, I go swimming with my baby daughter once a week from 9:00 to 10:00 and I work from home 2 days a week without a single minute in overtime. If you are out there doing 80-100 hour workweeks (as described in the article) you are an idiot. I get it when there are no jobs in your industry and too many candidates (psychology here in the Netherlands), but if you can program for games you can program applications with minimal self-training and start working normal hours and working on your life. So if you can program and you choose to work like described in the article you are an idiot.