> If I was given the choice between a dead-end low-end job for months on end or hanging with my friends playing video games, it would be very easy to choose the latter
That's a false dichotomy. First, there are so many different kinds of games. Second, games in general are just interactive applications or software. They're not just entertainment... many simulators fall into the category of "game". Flight simulators can be used to train pilots, for example. As far as entertainment, you have everything from casual board-like games, to virtual worlds, to story driven single player.
Games are much more than what most societies let them be. They have been more widely accepted in the past two decades, but I think mobile games have kept their reputation as a toys for children. This is absolutely not the case, and I hope with VR and mobile gaming maturing somewhat, people will realize that interactive software and virtual worlds have unlimited potential.