Crunch is the unavoidable result of poor project management. Project management in software development is notoriously bad, and in game development we're even behind that curve.

Schedules are built on hopes and dreams instead of historical data. Impossible promises are made to publishers in order to secure funding or keep from being cancelled.

Most harmful, is the belief that crunching actually increases productivity. If you look at the research on the subject the most you can hope to gain is about a 2 week boost before you backslide and become less productive.

If you could reliably deliver (fun) games on time and on budget you would have a serious competitive advantage in this field.