https://www.vimgolf.com/ is what taught me to VIM
I like the idea of vimgolf, but almost every "good solution" is a regexp replacement. Which is a problem since outside of vimgolf, I've very rarely used i. The usecase of vim regexp is quite narrow, basically only used in converting files between formats (a task I'd rather use other tools for)
The idea is not to pretend that ancient wisdom is nonexistent, but to verify our shared reality independent of tradition. This takes great humility and patience.
It's sad to see researchers patronized like this.