Children can become rock stars without stepping on a stage.
They can hit a hole in one without holding a golf club.
They can fly missions in a helicopter without leaving the ground.
A growing number of video games let children simulate actions and tasks without any knowledge of their real-life counterparts. But how well or poorly do the games convey real-life skills to children?
It depends on who you ask.
Video games do not necessarily provide children with all the things they need to be an educated person or even master certain tasks, said David Williamson Shaffer, a professor of educational psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. However, they can provide specific skills, motivation and an opportunity to solve problems as people do in the real world.