Video games do not have to be casual to teach

Not to say that you should stick a child or young adult in front of a TV or computer and have them play games, but to simply drop the idea that video games can ONLY detriment oneself. Video games are usually associated with couch potatoes or diversity of the sorts in terms of just playing the game. A video game primarily, yes, should entertain the player but entertainment and education are not two forces of which you cannot forge a cohesive whole out of. While undoubtedly there are many games that just serve as entertainment or time killers, there are others that can fulfill both purposes rather than one extreme or the other. There are some subjects conveyed more than others with strong representation, although I am sure that each subject gets a chance I will present my findings of the strongest to most commonly represented.

HISTORY

Whether it be past, present, future, fact or fiction, this is from what I have seen the strongest of conveyed subjects presented in gaming. A pseudo tug-of-war between first-person shooters and real-time strategies have insured such information. Games such as the Medal of Honor and Call of Duty series's, others like Total war series give us large introspect into the past from recent to ancient. With the former, you receive detail on the weapons, which side used them, historical background to combat zones, historical briefing on operations, important figures in the charge and much more. The latter grants your visible geography, historical background, army information, historical units, background on the military units, in-depth description of buildings and their purposes and much more. It's a less direct method of teaching such a subject but it does the job, and encourages to the player to find more on the subject if it is enjoyed.

SCIENCE & MATHEMATICS

The following one I noticed portrays potentials, but is applicable to known boundaries as well. Often in the realm of the science-fiction games, there are many a game that pushes science and math further or in a similar realm of sorts comprising of material that one knows of in our time as well. The games here do not do so much as the lore of which is built for them. Online forums around the internet especially grasp the large amounts of information often put in such universes. Say for example, a "Starcraft vs Halo" thread under debate may see numerous references to material, in and out of universe, and the details of it's purpose and construct, as well as mathematical calculations relating to the ability of an army via simulation, population demographics, travel times via technology, and the power of weapons. Given the often nature of Sci-fi, these calculations often are long and yield vast numbers, albeit even through the simplest of methods.

LITERATURE:

I'll be the first to say that I don't have a particular liking of the elements of literature, but I do enjoy using them. As time has progressed, many a game has wielded stories or plots, that can confuse many a person, and use little systems of dialogue with varying effects dependent on the game itself. The most evident genres that employ such a deep literal translation is often the horror and fantasy genres. The horror genre usually employs a more silent, and strong type of writing, often bringing in many a visual effect to rather distort one into following paths in the story that perhaps may not even be there. The Fantasy genre varies in the ability, but exceptions do come out strong, often changing the story itself through dialogue and sticking in occasional literal terms(that once again I do not enjoy searching for much, but utilizing). This is not my best attempt to show the literary elements in games, but I was never much of an English person.

ARTS(Music Included):

By far the most visually appealing grab for some is a game art style. The cell-shaded style often giving a comic appearance is a noticeable one. Others such as the watercolor-esque "Okami" do not happen frequently but often make for a unique look at perception into the different styles of representing figures or stories. Less common but still visually spender and employed is the Gothic style artworks often seen in areas such as Warhammer 40,000 or the Disciples series's which border realism without intent on sacrificing the heart and soul of the hand of the artist. The soundtracks that one usually sports, gives rise to many a  musical ear as well. The soundtracks very much so work in conjunction with the affirmed art style and story, giving rise to atmosphere and feeling, which fields importance in designing products and the realm of design in general. Almost any genre finds it's way into a design factor.

I reiterate once again that I am not the greatest speaker when it comes to these issues, but I do my best. Also, once again, I do not believe that you should just cave in to your child's demand, if you are a parent, for video games simply because of possibility. I do believe that one should monitor their child, and if interest is lacking in the educative field, to try and spice things up and get them to WANT to learn.