According to this, video games are a form of play. I've always been told that playing video games is a waste of time, it would be interesting to see scientific evidence that it is actually good for you.
If, as the OP alleges, play is useful for preparing one for future challenges, then play can be counter-productive if an obsession with playing precludes one from ever encountering those challenges.
As the old saying goes, "moderation curbs all vices" (normally attributed to Leonardo da Vinci; but, of course, he was riffing on the ancient Greek virtue of "sôphrosune"—temperance).
That outlier aside, you raise a good point about language - I too learned my English mostly through videogames. Single-player, story-rich videogames, which hooked me enough to play them with a dictionary on hand. I learned most of my vocabulary trying to understand the games' lores and navigate dialogues.
For the child it is entertaining and also entrains static sedentary behaviour.
This will be useful for the future as we really have very little need of nature or vigorous movement - the longer the time we can remain still and mentally active, the more we will be able to contribute to society.