One of the common complaints levied against video games is that they're a "waste of time," and that any skills developed are not applicable in the real world. In some cases, perhaps, but then again there are plenty of titles where the virtual lessons learned can help lead to a real career.
Take, for example, Lucas Ordonez, a 25-year old from Spain. He's set to begin his rookie season in the seven-race LeMans Cup season, which includes the 24 Hours of LeMans, one of the most famous and prestigious endurance races in the world. He will be racing for the Nissan team, after having successful seasons in the European GT4 Cup. His racing career began in 2008, when he took home the top prize in the inaugural GT Academy competition, which was sponsored by Nissan and Playstation, which should give a bit of a clue as to where he got his start.
Ordonez is a professional racing driver, competing in a prestigious racing series, after being the best virtual racing driver in Spain. GT Academy picks the players who are best at Sony's Gran Turismo series, and gives them the opportunity to drive real cars, in real races. In Ordonez' case, the skills transferred over to the real world and now those "wasted" hours spent on the game have given him an entire career.
Now, this is not to say that everyone will have the same level of success if they put in the latest Gran Turismo game and start driving. I am a fan of the series, and last time I tried to race a car I drove similarly to a grandmother who lost her glasses. There are forces at play in reality that are impossible to replicate on my flowery green couch. It only gives a small clue as to how to actually race, and it cannot actually replicate the fear of driving really quickly on a track with other people. It's an imperfect simulation, and there's no real way for it to be perfected without a great deal of money, but Ordonez clearly was able to translate what he learned from the game into becoming an actual, skilled racing driver.
Plus, it's not like I didn't take anything away from the series. While I would never claim to be the greatest photographer in the world, that series is why I bought my first camera, and how I learned what various functions actually do. The photo mode, which was designed to show off how pretty they could make the game, nonetheless contained real functions which were somewhat accurate in simulating how actual cameras work. While it would be nice if it could teach you how to photograph every situation, rather than just cars racing around, it still was a good way to get an introduction to how things work. It doesn't replace a real camera, but at least when I got one it gave a clue as to what I was doing.
Of course, that's one title in a sea of thousands, and not all games are going to have nearly as many transferable skills embedded in them. Honestly, the majority are just pure entertainment, which is perfectly fine. Just as I don't expect to gain valuable life skills from the average sitcom, when a game is just a fun way to spend an hour on an average winter evening I'm not disappointed by any stretch. Like all hobbies, it's about staying happy and entertained. Like some hobbies, that entertainment can sometimes lead to unexpected places, and in this case a professional racing career.
