Neither Daniel Irish (Relic) or Chris Avellone (Interplay, now Obsidian) ever worked as a programmer (and would probably resent the implication that they did). Just to name two that immediately spring to mind as having designed/produced some of the most critically acclaimed games ever.
Cheers Flamey, that's interesting. I bet they had a pretty good grasp on the tech, though. And that's what I'm really disputing -- the idea that wilful ignorance is somehow beneficial.