I feel the same way, although it's even worse with Zachtronic games (like SpaceChem for instance). At first I enjoy them because "it's just like coding" but then after an hour or so I think "well, it's just like coding" and I realize that I could be doing something more productive. I guess it must be like playing Guitar Hero if you're a professional guitarist.
I think these games are great at teaching people about concurrent programming, race conditions and locking though.
I think these games are great at teaching people about concurrent programming, race conditions and locking though.