Tycoon games and their remakes (Planet Zoo especially) are good for your brain and offer more than you think

Long post, but hear me out.

Like many of us, growing up I was always a fan of the Tycoon games, Zoo Tycoon especially. Planet Zoo was recently on a mega sale on Steam and I splurged and bought the game and all the DLCs for like $80. After several hours of gameplay, a successful 70-species Zoo worth more than $5mil, and 100k conservation credits later, it's reminded me why these games are not just fun, but also beneficial for our brains.

Let's actually analyze this here. You learn REAL facts about animals, their habitats, locations, diets, and conservation status, and you have to take care of them. This knowledge translates into real-life awareness of endangered species and ecosystems, and also responsibility. Even in Roller Coaster Tycoon / Planet Coaster, you learn about physics while designing your rides. The games also give you a glimpse into various industries financial aspects, helping you understand profit margins, expenses, revenue, etc.

These games also develop essential life skills. The micromanagement and multitasking required to be successful (specifically in Franchise Mode) as you juggle staff responsibilities, staff satisfaction, customers, finances, and animal care is astounding. You also face consequences for poor decisions... it's a way to practice making decisions and learn from your mistakes. Not to mention the building aspect offering tons of creative outlets (although this is not particularly unique, just an added bonus)

In today's world, where gory FPS instant-gratification games dominate the gaming market, stuff like this should be more prevalent. I absolutely think it would change the world, especially in children. They provide an immersive experience that's not just instant gratification, but instead brain nourishment and lesson-learning. I played Planet Zoo pretty much all day Sunday (I am 30F, married, no kids, just FYI for the haters out there and it was cold and rainy lol) and I am back at work today (It's my lunch break) but I swear my brain just feels so good and I have not been stressed about coming back to work from the holidays, it's like all of the work and skills I learned from PZ has prepped my brain into returning to work. Like I'd gained real-world knowledge and exercised my brain, I literally feel so confident in anything that comes my way today.

Could that be because I had a relaxing weekend too? Maybe. I go in and out of gaming spurts and often play quite a bit in the winter time, but I always feel so guilty and unsatisfied when I play other games for an entire day, but not this time. I literally feel like I gained something from playing and used multiple parts of my brain, instead of letting it rot away playing a shooter and yelling at 11 year olds.

Don't get me wrong, I still and will always enjoy a good RPG or FPS and other mindless games now and then, but PZ and games similar to it are something special. It helps develop actual useful skills.

More games like this need to be created, and encouraged and ADVERTISED in a way that I have explained it above. Especially children should to be given this type of entertainment in their tween years instead of the brain rot that is out there now.

Rant over, I hope someone understands where I am coming from or have felt the same way.

Dear Frontier and other developers out there, please continue to make games like this and encourage other platforms to produce similar ones. It could truly change the world. Why not just always sneak a little bit of knowledge and life skills propaganda in our past time entertainment?