My experience after over 35 years of hardcore gaming (since I first saw pong). Largely, video games are about linear optimizations with multiple complex variab

My experience after over 35 years of hardcore gaming (since I first saw pong). Largely, video games are about linear optimizations with multiple complex variables in a highly dynamic (borderline chaotic) environment. This approaches the complexity of day to day life, as many people can understand their situation in life. Unlike life, there are known bounds for most games or it takes a finite amount of time to explore these bounds to sufficient understanding to progress in some metric (usually winning ratio, but also APM or K/D ratio). Frustration is largely a result of RNG punishment (that can FAIL? Why did my mats disappear after my 4 hours of grinding? etc) or participation failure (there were 3 of you and you couldn't handle 1?) or mechanics failure (imba <mechanic> just wrecks everyone) which includes nerfing a mechanic a player relies on. Every now and then you will also see player frustration related to a lack of dextrous skill (bullet hell shooters, fps games, rts apm, etc) or understanding (this game's <x> is just broken! - even though the game is founded around that mechanic being the strongest - i.e. Chess/Queen, Counter Strike/CT pistols > glock). Like text puzzles or mindgames, video games allow for people to constantly develop strategies and exercise them for a complexity level that is uncommon in human experience. In group settings, the gamers generally come up with solutions to problems (of various quality) quickly and decisively, then will later discuss deeper strategy. Video game trial-and-error trains for that kind of approach and lots of playtime tends to treat indecisiveness as disadvantageous. Does it make you smarter? Not that I have seen. Does it make you faster? Yes, it trains you to optimize your reaction time at a moment's notice and there is a dopamine feedback loop, even if you are a poor performer. Does it help you long-term in staving off cognitive decline? Probably not directly, but there was a study about constantly challenging your mind to combat decline, iirc. Those are my thoughts.