Didn't think I'd see RuneScape on HN today. As someone who plays and has since I was around 10, I often think about that same question. Sometimes I think of myself as being from the early 2000s Internet, rather than my hometown. Being online was where I felt like I belonged. RuneScape was like going out to play in the woods. I grew up there.

For me most of that play time has been worth it. Games and wanting to make them are what got me interested in programming. Now I'm a software engineer. People worry about kids' screen time, but I spent most of my time as a kid in front of the computer, programming and gaming. Far beyond acceptable amounts of screen time for a kid, but without that I don't know what I would've been interested in. Certainly there were different kinds of games back then. No ads, short gameplay loops, or microtransactions. From games I learned how to find information online, not many wikis then. I got better at reading, typing, and socializing through online games and forums. I set my own goals and achieved them. I was able to gain more confidence about myself. Games gave me a safe, small microcosm of the world to be excited about.

I could ramble on, but I'd definitely be interested in reading your thoughts about games and play.