Contrary to what the article suggests, you can't really control the scenario you are in. It is more like being awake. You take conscious control of yourself and the brain makes the world react accordingly, but the actions of others are still beyond your ability to change.
But I also find it to be quite useful in a practical way. I've written some of my best music and developed some of my best business ideas or inventions during lucid dreams. The bonus being that I can remember everything after waking up, so retaining those ideas becomes much easier than it normally is. In fact, if I play or hear a guitar riff while inside a lucid dream, I'm able to pick up the guitar while awake and have retained noticeable "muscle memory" for the chords or progressions or runs, as if I've played them thousands of times.