The colonialism argument is silly in the same way that the videogames cause violence argument is silly. Just because the player is technically incentivized to engage in colonialist behaviors doesn't mean they have fantasies of being Christopher Columbus. What would the point of a sandbox game be if you are not improving the land around you? Do we have to watch the ethics of our actions in a game now? Is it bad that most gamers enjoy progressing in skill, game state, or their vision for their personal world?