I have to strongly object when people refer to flight simulators as "video games" or "playing flight simulator." It always galls me when somebody says to me "Oh, I don't play video games" when I tell them my hobby. A good flight simulator program is not a game nor a toy. It is designed to reflect reality right down to minutes of longitude and latitude arc. It is a hobby and certainly is an amusement, but it is so much more. It is an effective learning tool and having a semester of physics or trigonometry under your belt certainly helps. You can get as much out of a good flight simulator as you are willing to put in.
I hope people see the difference between blasting zombies with a virtual shotgun and plotting out a real world trans-oceanic course.
Captain
First Officer
Chief Captain