The Point of Gaming

This is a private message I recently received on YouTube:

Enlighten an ole dude. I have been computer literate longer than many people are old but I lost interest in games with pinball. What is the point other than time consumption and fighter pilot training?

This was my response to him:

Must there be a point other than time consumption?

In all seriousness, besides entertainment/distraction (which we all need), I see gaming as another medium in which to tell a story, and I find that as of late, many games actually offer you choices which in essence, direct the narrative, so you actually take somewhat of an active role in how the story plays out.

Gaming has been shown to aid in certain cognitive and physical functions, such as reaction times, spatial awareness, problem solving, and even critical thinking.
Now, I don't want to be disingenuous here. Most people play games for sheer entertainment, and that's largely why I play them as well, but the other stuff is true, and the directed narrative bit is a large reason why I love role playing games.

To which he responded as follows:

Ah yes! critical thinking! I can acquiesce to that. I have sons who have demonstrated the value of Dungeons and Dragons. They spent weekends at friends homes to play it. They developed illustrated books and manuals to support it. When I saw that I supported the activity. However, developing a skill is one thing, applying it is another.

As a long distance cyclist, I could happily spend my life on the open road with my friends or team mates. Pining for the next hill, river or unexplored village. Or I can apply that same focus, endurance and knowledge of teamwork to producing a product that supports the development of my family and community. Legacy is a crucial part of human satisfaction.

Now, was he implying that I was wasting my time in a fruitless endeavour if I was not applying these skills elsewhere? Where was get getting this? I responded back to him:

I must admit the intent behind that last message eludes me. Are you implying that gaming must be enjoyed in moderation, so as to not avoid doing more constructive things? If so, I agree, but I am not sure why you are telling me this. I have not done anything to allude to the fact that I play games on a frequent basis.

If that wasn't the message, or the intent, please clarify.

He responded back with:

I thought my last post was a clarification/explanation and reinforcement of positive behaviour. Consider it the Babu in me.

Aside from not knowing what the fuck a Babu is, I assumed then that he was stating what I thought he was, and I went ahead and sent what so far, has been the last message between us:

Well I'm inclined to agree with your contention.

Peace.

This whole thing started when I commented on a video on YouTube dealing with a Christian Militia that wast raided in America some time ago. If you hadn't heard, just know that this militia was planning on killing police officers and then bombing their funeral in the hopes of sparking an uprising against the government, who is ''evil'' and apparently acts as an agent of ''Satan.'' These people believe the end times (a la revelations) is upon us, and they were preparing to fight for their all powerful god who apparently needs human beings to intercede on this behalf......ugh. Fucking religion.....

Anyways, I'm digressing.

So, made a comment on the video, and this guy responded to it. This is what transpired:

Him: Excellent analysis magx01! You should write about something more relevant than games.
Me: If you're not being sarcastic, I thank you. I also want to point out that I do actually write about more than games.
Him: No sarcasm at all and I am glad to hear it. I just want to see a good mind properly utilized.
There is more than one way to have fun :)
Me: Indeed, and I try to do so, but I do believe there is merit in writing about video games as well. Not to the same degree, of course, not even remotely, but there is some.
And that's when he sent me the PM asking me to outline the appeal of gaming.

So what do you, the readers, think? Do you agree with my contention that there's more to gaming than just entertainment? If so, is it the stuff I listed, something else, or both? If it is only about distraction/entertainment, is that bad? Or is there merit in that in and of itself? (I think there is, as I said to him).

To reiterate, as I said to him, for me, gaming is more than just entertainment:

Besides entertainment/distraction (which we all need), I see gaming as another medium in which to tell a story, and I find that as of late, many games actually offer you choices which in essence, direct the narrative, so you actually take somewhat of an active role in how the story plays out.

Gaming has been shown to aid in certain cognitive and physical functions, such as reaction times, spatial awareness, problem solving, and even critical thinking.

Now, I don't want to be disingenuous here. Most people play games for sheer entertainment, and that's largely why I play them as well, but the other stuff is true, and the directed narrative bit is a large reason why I love role playing games.

Do you, the reader(s) hold similar views? Why do we (you) game? And secondly, do you believe that gaming has actual, tangible benefits, like those cognitive ones I mentioned?