<p>Geo, you raised a good point and started a very interesting thread!</p>
<p>Perhaps a related point is that too many kids feel pressured to only do things which look good on an application? If playing video games is fun and a pressure release valve, isn’t that sufficient?</p>
<p>Yes, many games as noted, involve creativity. And, with the popularity of the XBox live network, kids now play not just solitaire but online with people all over the world while talking to them. But there is nothing wrong a kid wanting to do an activity that has no school sponsor or college tie-in.</p>