Just a comment to make on one of your points - >In so many video games, you play the hero... you [are the] only person who can succeed and you're rewarded... w

Just a comment to make on one of your points - >In so many video games, you play the hero... you [are the] only person who can succeed and you're rewarded... without real-world troubles like concern for others Anecdotally, the games I have found most compelling (by and large; exceptions abound) tend to fall remarkably far from that pattern. In Eve Online you start as a nobody in a cruel world populated by jaded, career hardcore gamers and you probably end that way too - unless you are (irl) creative enough and (irl) charismatic enough to build an commando team, a franchise, a company, a charity or an empire large enough to leave a permanent mark on that universe and on its inhabitants' minds. Rust is pretty much Eve but without the complex economy and an API to crunch numbers with. Still has the social engineering, the pack out for blood mentality and the ability to create a visceral sense of loss (in you or your enemy). In Dota/League/Starcraft/Counterstrike/any other round-based ladder game you are a chess piece; you play your role and cooperate with others. The better you are at those two things, the more you win games. There's no free lunch; you're always matched with people similar to your skill so you are always working to minimize the very real risk of humiliating, extended failure at the hands of your peers in every game. In Minecraft (singleplayer) it's just you and your creativity. You cannot win or lose. You have no missions aside from those you give yourself. The value or satisfaction you gain from this game is directly proportional to what you put into it. It's almost zen. Or maybe it's almost existentialist. In Minecraft (multiplayer) you add to all that the ability to cooperate with others (to convince them of the value of your goals, or to contribute to the advancement of theirs) or to conflict with others (defend what is yours while destroying what is theirs). I mean, I love Mirror's Edge and its sequel. They're beautiful games, with great soundtracks and fluid gameplay that doesn't revolve around shooting. But in the end, I don't rack up hundreds of hours in that kind of game. I don't think I even got halfway through the Skyrim campaign. Shit's boring to me. This is all, of course, just my opinions. All my life I've been an outlier, though, so maybe this is all irrelevant to your point, which was about the usual effects of usual games to usual teens/young adults.