Nothing has ruined the industry. The industry is thriving. The fact is, is that you have to make something worth peoples time and money. Nobody wants to have to pay for something that probably sucks when they can get all the suckage they want for free. I'm not saying your game sucks, I'm just assuming that it has a greater chance of sucking than not because 1.) its on a phone. 2.) most phone games suck outright because they are on a phone. The cards are stacked against you.
I can count a lot of highly successful indie devs that put their heart and soul into their games for years before they got a penny. The market really isn't any different now than 20 years ago. If anything its better. More people play. Sure there are more games, but marketing has always been important. The mobile market is different because honestly it is different. If you want to make a game and get paid for it. 1.) make a good game. 2.) convince people its worth their time and money. 3.) don't make it for the crappy mobile industry. Mobile was cool only when it was a gameboy. In the end, you still take a risk. Its called business. Most game makers forget that. They get all caught up in the idea that they are going to make a game and everyone is going to play it like it was God's gift to mankind. Have you done any market research? What are people playing? Are there any openings? What is the competition like? Who is going to pay for your game? How can you reach your target audience?
Making games is also easier now than ever before. I mean I'm assuming you are using construct since you are on this forum. Shoot, I get paid to teach 5th graders how to make games. Are they making games that shouldn't be free? of course not, but the fact is is that everyone and their mother can make games now. You have to be better than all the rest.
I must finish with, I do hate free to play games. I hate adds, and I hate having to spend more than I otherwise would to play a game when its all done and said. I am happy to pay upfront for a game I think I want. But I'm also not the average fiscally immature moron that inhabits most western countries. I can see what free to play games do and I don't like it. I hate it. But honestly playing candy crushers doesn't make you a gamer, it makes you a consumer of mobile media. There is a difference. And that also means if you want one audience and not the other you have to design your games accordingly.