many ppl do it for the prestige and because its an obstacle they want to overcome... that's what having passion for something is.
And you said how what he did was a stupid way to ask for a job from any of the console makers. Well watch "Catch me if you can." After scamming banks out of millions, and being jailed for a while, Frank Abagnale Jr. worked for the fbi, has helped catch many other elusive scammers, and helped develop several techniques/programs to catch forged checks and such...Long story short, he makes millions of dollars a year doing something he's really good at.
Edit: oh ya and lol at your suggestion to blackmail sony yet you don't like that Geohot asked the companies for jobs the way he did so.







