Andrew of Brooklyn, New York is 9 years old. This 4th grader knows more about mythology from all over the world than his classmates. How? He plays Wizard101.
Andy can tell you that Triton was the son of Poseidon, that he was a water god from Greece, and that he does 795 - 875 Storm damage. Okay, so maybe that last bit of information is not exactly relevant, but the rest of his knowledge is valid and constantly growing. Visiting fictional places that represent real world locations has made him curious about the real world equivalents. He might ask, "Is there really a place like the Jade Palace?" And then figure out the answer himself: "Well, the Jade Palace has samurais and ninjas, so it must represent Japan." This train of thought is often followed by a Google search for more information.
Many people, parents especially, worry that all kids can learn from games is that killing is okay. But they forget about everything else that a child can learn from an MMO infused with real mythology and history. And even those MMOs whose content does not have anything related to the real world can be a valuable learning experience. Though online gaming, children can learn cooperation, responsibility, and leadership, further strengthening skills that they should be learning elsewhere. The anonymity and lack of overbearing leader figure of the internet can also push kids who would not normally be presented with a leadership role to try something different and maybe create a guild or lead a party into battle.
Video games are so often blamed for everything wrong with kids today that we tend to forget their positive aspects. Parents can help moderate how long a child spends playing, and which games are the best for their child, but in the end it's important to remember that children can learn so much from MMOs. Just ask Andrew.
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