To me, that doesn't seem much different from using a set of army men-- except that I can't buy him a set of tiny robotic army men that look and behave like orcs and build things on their own, or roam around a countryside firing miniature toy shells complete with simulated explosions. Nor can I buy him a set that lets him build a tiny robot city, like Sim City, or control a galactic empire. I think that these sorts of computer activities can have a lot of aspects of good board games and building sets about them, except that there's the extra aspect of simulation involved, and of course a great deal more of detail.
This isn't something a parent can buy, but children can use their imaginations. Gifted kids existed long before PCs and many found incredible ways to create and explore the world. Leta Hollingsworth's portrayals of young gifted kids are a great example of that. These kids aren't just consumers of the worlds someone else created, they often created their own worlds with their own laws, languages, social systems.
