The Incredible Machine, Lemmings, and just playing around with Logo were pretty awesome for problem solving fun, I think, back in my day. As for messing with causality, Braid comes to mind. To expand perspective, and for the sheer beauty of it, Gorogoa. Almost any RTS will give you a good feel for simple differential equations, combinatorics, economics, and a little game theory. I used to mess around with some incredible indie content on Kongregate, especially puzzle games, some of which were truly innovative and wonderful. (Too bad it is so hard to monetize awesome little indie games! Good luck to poki.com, itch.io, and their ilk!)
But the best foundation for the mind, I think, is to keep younger kids IRL, let them make up their own games, and keep it physical and outside as much as possible. Much of our human consciousness involves moving around abstract space, analogous to physical motion, and so learning to move and think IRL is vital to developing consciousness, wherever it may eventually play.
But the best foundation for the mind, I think, is to keep younger kids IRL, let them make up their own games, and keep it physical and outside as much as possible. Much of our human consciousness involves moving around abstract space, analogous to physical motion, and so learning to move and think IRL is vital to developing consciousness, wherever it may eventually play.