My wife and I are both in our mid-30s. We are gainfully employed professionals with young children. We can help with math homework, attend a school commitee meeting, or write the delicately-worded email about the situation at work. We read books and newspapers, know something about wine, attend independent movies, and are conversant on the issues of the day in politics.

And - brace yourself - we also play video games. Some nights Mrs. Spacetropic won't surrender my PSP - she is absoarbed by Lumines, a sophisticated variation of the old Tetris that demands quick, thoughtful puzzle-solving skills. She likes to decompress in the evenings after work with a few minutes playing a game.

But this is one of a very small pool of games that isn't designed and marketed toward the piss-and-vinegar 20-someting male audience. A failure of imagination combined with an aversion to risk have caused the electronic gaming industry - which rivals the size of Hollywood in terms of gross revenue, remember - to leave profits burning in a trash can. Game after game consists of GTA ripoffs, racing games, and the most juvenile role playing excercises. The generation that has matured with Atari - now considerably older - is left with our entertainment dollars left in our pockets.

Games like Ico, Katamari Damacy

In the words of B-movie villians: You fools.