Simulations are used to train pilots fly 747s. The Army Tank Corps uses simulations to train tank commanders. Most war scenarios are carried out as simulations beforehand to hone strategic skills. Recently, I proposed that driving skills could be learned on a computer with a steering wheel and simulation software. I see that there is now a driver's education game that runs on PCs.
Nobody studies it.
It astonishes me how little we know about the effects of computers on our lives and on the way we think. You can't win. No matter how hard you try, you get zapped. More recently, some Nintendo and Sega games could be beaten by highly skilled players, and I wonder what effect that had on them. Sixteen years have passed since I first discussed these issues, and we still have no clue about whether these games are somehow harmful or somehow helpful.