If you’re halfway tuned in to contemporary culture, you know that videogame aficionados aren’t just kids on society’s fringe.

“It’s no longer this 15- or 16-year-old geek playing in his bedroom,” says Jeff Karp, senior vice president of marketing for Electronic Arts, the world’s leading videogame maker by revenue.

Over the past couple of years, various studies and surveys have revealed startling figures about the average videogame player—who, according to the Entertainment Software Association, is 33 years old. (He remains, true to the stereotype, male.) That’s been good news for the industry in terms of image and sales potential; it doesn’t take a mathlete to realize that the broader your appeal, the more product you can sell. Bad news for adolescents, though, who might not be so psyched about sharing the PlayStation with Grandma.

Videogame makers know well that different demographic groups appreciate having products tailored to them specifically. Thirty-somethings, for example, tend to like games that were popular when they were kids, like Pac-Man or the Mario franchise, and many baby boomers go for virtual versions of bridge and other card games. So Microsoft’s new Xbox 360, in addition to having white versions and being slightly sleeker than the original Xbox, lets players download such games. “We want everybody to be a part of the Xbox 360 experience,” says Jeff Bell, corporate vice president of global marketing for the company’s interactive-entertainment business.

Grownups tend to prefer games that require strategy and complex decision making and shy away from those that involve hitting a bunch of buttons as fast as possible. Nintendo’s Wii, which is being marketed to people from age five to 95 rather than the traditional 18-to-34 gang, foregoes the complexities in favor of a number of games that are easy to pick up and play. The result? There’s now a 55-and-older Wii bowling team in Chicago, and IDC, a market research firm, predicts that the Wii will outsell the Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3.

Videogaming parents, it turns out, are 37 years old on average, and they play their children’s games—with or without their kids. They are also able to shell out the $499 starting price for PlayStation 3 and will likely appreciate entertainment extras like HD and a Blu-ray disc drive. So the bulk of buyers registering the system have been between the ages of 35 and 49.

The following six new game releases are grownup friendly. But what will be left for the boys in black T-shirts to do in the basement? There’s probably a ping-pong table down there somewhere.

Young Professionals
Guitar Hero II for Xbox 360 ($90)
You wanted to be a rock star, but you’ve ended up in an office. So after battling rush hour, come home and rock out on Guitar Hero II. The guitar-shaped controller lets you play the rhythm, lead, or bass guitar parts of dozens of songs. Play as a duo or compete head-to-head; just take it easy so you don’t injure yourself like Detroit Tigers pitcher Joel Zumaya did. This version has Dolby 5.1 surround sound and additional downloadable songs.

Parents
SingStar Pop for PlayStation 2 ($49 with mikes; $29 without)
Who said parenthood would be dignified? This game lets you take the family sing-alongs from the car into the living room, and since it rates performances, it will settle squabbles about who really stinks. At least you’re not limited to Ashlee Simpson; choices include songs by Aretha Franklin, the Rolling Stones, and Cyndi Lauper.

Forty-something Men
MLB 07: The Show for PlayStation 3 ($59.99)
At the ball game, all you get to do is cheer and bitch about the calls. But at home on your couch, you can decide everything from the price of hot dogs to your players’ characteristics. MLB 07: The Show lets you create your own players and work them up to the majors, and you can manage a team throughout an entire season. The PlayStation 3 edition promises a more visually realistic experience than that of the PS2 and PSP versions.

Busy People Who Need A Breather
Solitaire in Motion from MSN Games (free)
Traditionally, adults have gotten their gaming fix elsewhere—like on their computers, with a quick session of solitaire or Bejeweled. A new take on an old favorite, this version of solitaire exercises your memory as you flip over and line up cards that are floating in a Spanish fountain. Two modes of play—active and relaxed—are available to match your mood.

The Board Game Generation
Big Brain Academy for Nintendo Wii ($49.99)
Nintendo has been targeting the pre-Baby Boom generation with mental-training games. Big Brain Academy, a series of simple memory, number-crunching, and quick-thinking games, is already available in handheld form. The Wii version is scheduled for a June release.