“Computer and video games allow kids to pretend that they’re skilled marksmen, fighters, athletes, outdoorsmen, etc all without having to acquire any of the skills necessary to be any of those things.”
Absolutely correct. I’ve seen it. When I took my sons to Disney many, many years ago, we went through a Buzz Lightyear ride where we shot light pistols at real targets while riding through. They always made fun of me for not being good at video games.
When we exited the tunnel, they were shouting, “I got 12,000! I got 9,000! How much did YOU get, Dad?” I calmly replied, “32,000”. That was a VALUABLE lesson for them. We had a “real” gun, not a controller.
They are excellent marksmen today, by the way...
A friend of mine tried to introduce his nephew (mid or late teens) to hunting. The kid’s response was to say “I already go hunting all the time” - on his play station, of course. Many of that generation seem to prefer a simulacrum to reality in every aspect of life.