The thing is, my company probably doesn't want my side projects. I'm not just a programmer; I make music, photography, art, etc. If they owned that stuff, it would just wither away in a dark corner because they wouldn't have any use for it.

Now extend that same concept to programming: I make games and digital interactive art in my spare time too. Should I really be forced to give it to my company where they will promptly throw it in the garbage? Or should I be allowed to make it and share it with the world independent of my corporate life?