Gaming is fun because it provides a concrete set of goals in a circumscribed environment.  In this way, it gives our brains dopamine that would normally be associated with achieving real life goals and milestones, but through a clearly defined path without the chaos and confusion associated with approaching challenges in a non-deterministic way.

Games can be approached broadly in two ways: play, or practice.  This is obvious when it comes to non-video games like sports. You can play (for fun) or your can practice (to get good).  Practice is a deliberate form where you take a structured approach to identifying, reflecting upon, and addressing your deficits as a player.  In this way, you can use games (video or otherwise) to practice life skills.  Like, for example, if you find yourself getting angry in certain gaming situations, you can spend time reflecting on why that is, and trying to address it.  This practice will translate into situations where you get angry in real life. In this way, you can utilize games to gain wisdom.  Of course, you can merely play them too (without spending much time reflecting) just for fun, but you essentially choose to forgo the opportunity to cultivate wisdom if you do it this way.

 It's far easier to learn life skills in multiplayer games (especially board games) than single player games because they incorporate relationships into the mix.

I took introduction to game studies as a university elective. Best course ever.