Have you ever wanted to try flying a plane or running a city or being a tycoon of roller coasters without having to invest much time, money, and energy to take flight lessons, run for political office, or work your way up through an amusement park company? Sim games let you play with these complex systems easily and walk away when you get bored.
I have often said that for many people that want to change the world (for the greater negative), they need to get addicted to Sim games. They will end up doing a lot less harm in that situation.
The real question is, how do you determine who is going to do negative or positive gains. A debate that is millennia old.
i remember years ago reading a tweet, i'm paraphrasing but it went something like:
"I love how men go from 'I'm gonna conquer the world!!' to 'im gonna sit here and paint my model figures'"
I think about it a lot, and your comment made me think of it again.
Flight sims are my 'model railways'
I get the impression he's not saying all sim games, but "drive the vehicle" sims in general. I have to agree. There's just nothing engaging about it imo.