Is game development a 'real' job?

I get the impression that most people think game developers are lazy programmers who know nothing of the world but their code.
This isn't true.
I'm of the philosophy that good game developers have to know not just the how, but the why- Why something is designed a certain way, why it works like that in real life. To simulate false worlds, we need a broad understanding of the real one; Not just programming and art, but physics, history, politics. We need to know the ins and outs of the physical world and human culture. To create realistic places, an understanding of architecture is required, in addition to light engineering to ensure such designs are plausible. To write a fantastic story, human motivations must be understood and utilized.

In short, to create a new world, you must fully understand the one you have now. I've sometimes said that a level designer takes all the programming, all the art assets standing on their own, and turns them into an actual, playable game. In a similar sense, all developers do this, but using the building blocks of the world to create their parts.

And this isn't all practical knowledge, either; There's a healthy dose of philosophy in there too.
You remember Pokemon, right? Of course you do. Each generation of Pokemon has had a different underlying philosophy, from the simple exploration of a new world present in Gen I's Kanto Region, to the environmental messages present in Gen III's Hoen games. Generation IV went even further, with the library in Sinnoh's Canalave city containing tales on the subject of creation and the duality of man. Pretty deep stuff for a kid's game, isn't it?
(Maybe that's why so many parents and "activist" groups were so adamant about banning the series back in the 90s.)

Now, of course, that's not a catch-all example; a lot of games are designed without thought or deeper meaning. And you don't need to include a philosophical standpoint in a game to make it entertaining. But my point remains, you need to be a lot broader than just the ability to make a game - to truly design one, and create one, worth the time and money it takes, you need to know not only how to program it, but what makes it fun, and how the world you're creating works in relation to the real one. So we're back to the thesis;  You need to know philosophy, history, politics, science, architecture, a vast array of knowledge from a vast array of disciplines, each building on one another to create a fuller understanding of how everything works and fits together.

So not only is game development a real job, it's many.