Reader Respone #7-games...educational?

I just read the "Play" chapter of A Whole New Mind. The part that struck me the most was the video games. Pink praises video games in saying that they are great and everyone should try them. He says to go get a demo and play it and you will get hooked and not regret it. The he goes on to state, "At the very least, you'll begin to understand the powerful new grammar, narrative pattern, and thinking style those games are teaching"
When I first read all this about video games I jumped to the conclusion that video games are leisure activities guys do that seem pointless to many girls. Reading about the military game that was made for the soldiers to help them do training and learn aspects of the army made me think about other games. The more I read into the chapter and Pink talked about how these games are allowing people to learn new things in a whole different way, I got thinking...
I actually agree with him. He made me do a 180 turn on my opinions just in that one chapter. I mean every time I watch my boyfriend sit down and play video games I think about how worthless that seems to me (he is still playing them at the age of 23, almost 24). However, the more I thought about it they actually require to him to think and learn a lot. For example, his favorite game is an ATV game where you race four wheelers. Seems simple enough. When I try it though all I do is fall off and break the four wheeler. He has learned how to run the four wheeler, what gears work, and what not to do. Something I have not done because I have not taken the time to. I mean learning about a four wheeler isn't something your going to use everyday but he understands them way more than I do and that is because of some help from the video game. The video game allowed him to learn more about gears, and riding, which is something he really enjoys. If the game allowed for him to learn so much about something he loves, then go for it.
Also I babysat a little boy this sumer who was four years old. His mother gave him homework to do such as spelling, or letters. He never wanted to sit down and do them. However, he enjoyed playing video games. His mother got him a Leapster, which is a child's video game. You can buy educational programs or games that teach kids about different aspects of life. Once he got this he didn't mind doing his homework at all. The video game became a way of teaching him without him even knowing it. If this is a form of education that children are willing to do, I say good.
Who would have ever known if you really thought about it video games can actually be helpful in learning many new things for many ages.