<p>From the perspective of a video game loving teenage boy:</p>
<p>While most video games(and especially console video games) are generally just played in a television like trance, you seem to be suggesting that your son is both smart and an avid pc user.</p>
<p>In my experience, it's very difficult to both love logic/computing, and video games, before trying to do something with it yourself. It may not be a fully fledged programming job, but he may start creating modifications to games he already has, or designing maps, or creating scenarios. While this does not mean that this is the case, it isn't impossible that he's working on those things. </p>
<p>I've developed a few small modifications in my time, and while it's nothing compared to what you see from nearly professional studios, it did teach me the basics of 3d modeling and programming. If your son is just playing Counter Strike, or especially the World of Warcraft(or any MMORPG) competitively all day, trying to win, he might not be in that state of mind. </p>
<p>But if he is, there is likely a very strong creative desire to make something visual. In my case, I can't draw, but I had ideas. Computers make it possible without the needed hand-eye relationship. You said your son was creative, so this may be an outlet for that.</p>
<p>While I wouldn't just say "go ahead and let him play," before dismissing all video games as merely toys, ask him if he does enjoy working on these things, maybe just editing a few text files, or making maps, but perhaps even new games. If he does, that makes it seem like he may well have a future in computing, as there is a lot of room for people who like playing the logic games needed for game design in the industry. Perhaps he'd like a class in programming or web design or graphics design or some other aspect of computing?</p>
<p>Of course, he may just well like killing things too, but I assure you that there is a lot more complexity to how people play video games than merely shooting things. He may be a story teller, an engineer, a writer, a designer, a strategist, and so forth, not merely as a character, but as an actually online being. (That sounds strange, but I mean the mindsets are strikingly similar.)</p>
<p>And again, he might just like the "killing things" aspect.</p>
<p>Video games are often just used to waste time, but sometimes they are a demonstration of art.</p>
<p>My only reason for saying this is that you might want to ask him why he likes the games he plays, what else he does with them, and why he likes to do those things. It's like a kid who loves to scribble during class, yes most of the time the kid might be wasting time, but perhaps he's actually a repressed artist.</p>
<p>Well, I hope what I said makes sense, I just think that your son might be showing more interest than you realize, just in a virtual world that doesn't get much attention.</p>
<p>(If you want to see what high school and college kids do with engines provided by companies, I highly suggest looking into the modifications made for Half Life 1 and 2, which are both very open games with a lot of access to the inner workings.)</p>
<p>And if you're concerned about colleges, I can say that the one tech school I applied to seemed interested in the modifications I'd made to other games. And most of them liked that I won a local vocabulary contest by using words and concepts that are often explored in RPG's. There is a shocking amount of art in some games, but most of the time you just hear about the ultra-violent ones.</p>
<p>(Xenosaga is basically a space opera with extreme religious concepts. I guarantee an entire segment of people was introduced to gnostic philosophy, Nietzche, and a variety of other ideas by it. Same with the much more violent Bioshock and objectivism. I don't think most games have come anywhere near being artistic masterpieces, but the interaction that is so often blamed for violence is also extremely useful for exploring an entire new medium. It's like the first movies. No, most of them are terrible, but as cinema improved, many of the movies became more art than entertainment. Honestly, the same is true of literature, as is evidenced by any supermarket's book stand. Mostly terrible, but some glittering works of art do exist.)</p>
<p>So that was a bit long as far as rants go. I admit that it's more likely that your son is just goofing off with games, but before the entire outlet is dismissed as one giant toy, perhaps consider kids with bands(or just intersted in music.) Many people love music, maybe even burning CD's. Some even play guitar. While for many it's just an easy thing to do to be entertained, there are some for whom it's more than that. I know a fellow who, a few years back, started his own recording studio. He's at NYU's recording school now. </p>
<p>Sorry, I'm trying to conclude this but I'm failing miserably.</p>