So vibrations are more real world than electrons? The idea that playing guitar is more real world than fortnite, isn't based on logic. You have to come up with a logical definition of 'real world competencies' that excludes games, and I don't think you can. But after viewing your profile I realised you're a woman and don't understand logic, carry on.

Playing an instrument is hardly a real world competency either though. I play four but that’s because they are fun and I like making music.

The counter argument to this is that many of the younger (<50yo) billionaires were extreme gamers as kids, the ones who were young enough to play games like Warcraft or Civ or StarCraft etc

One exception - Kerbal Space Program will give you a better intuition of rocket physics in ten hours than a hundred hours with a textbook. I'm a little disappointed that there aren't more games with its educational and entertainment value.

Video gaming is for when you've already solved a number of your most pressing issues Number one advice I give to kids in their teens and 20's is to use that precious time more wisely

how about reading fiction?

Untrue for some; playing Minecraft certainly helped me learn Boolean logic. It was not the most *efficient* way, however.

the games I’ve seen people talk about specific IRL benefits from are WoW (people managing, if you run a guild) and Factorio (paying attention to processes and timings) but still has to be a massive timesink for any benefit incurred

Yeah it’s just part of “recharge batteries” time.

It's ridiculous to claim that nothing is learned from repeatedly solving complex simulated problems. What is learned will depend on the game, of course. For example, I'm convinced that playing first person shooters gave me an extremely strong sense of direction and ability to navigate unfamiliar terrain.

Hasn't there been decades of study with regards to how different games improve certain skills? I mean, are we gonna say that chess, which is a game, is a waste of time?

Many of the skills I have today that make me a good CEO were developed during RTS play. I haven’t played any video games in 20 years. But the time I spent playing was critical.

Am I the only human that doesn’t play

hmm I think video games benefit is very genre-dependent and also skill issue

drone operators

League of Legends is totally great for teachijg patience.

Genuinely learned a whole lot as an officer in world of warcraft raids as a teen. Some videogames were definitely more edifying than others but there's not nothing there.

this is just a bit of a useless debate without anyone defining what they mean by video game. Flight sims are literally used to train pilots lol, and even trained pilots use MFS to, e.g., learn unfamiliar airports, etc.

Neal literally "smokes pot with jamaican apple pickers"

I joined a hardcore raiding guild in world of warcraft when I was like 13 and it really was kind of a low stakes taste of what being an accountable member of an organization is like.

You're not playing the right games

Surgeons who play video games have like a 25% higher survival rate on their surgeries.

I agree about competencies, but I do have a lot of knowledge that I gleaned from video games. For example, I know way more about metallurgy, geology, and soil types than the average Joe because I play Dwarf Fortress.

I mean, if you play *multiplayer* games with people you consider *friends* and *have conversations* while doing it... I use them to keep up with guys I've known since college in spite of physical distance. We played couch-coop back in the day, this is just the evolution.

it seems bold to make this sort of blanket claim about a medium. like reading a fantasy novel and deciding that books are intrinsically a wasteful timesink