Don't just play the games, play the video game industry

— -- Q: I'd like to invest in the video game industry. What are the companies, and stock symbols, of the leading players?

A: Blockbuster games like Grand Theft Auto and Halo are a big reminder of just how popular video games have become.

Rather than being just for teenagers, games have broadened their appeal to include other people. Some consumers would just as much play a video game than watch TV or see movies. Nintendo's popular Wii console, which is controlled with an easy-to-use wand rather than a controller, has made gaming more popular in unlikely spots including nursing homes and with physical therapy.

The broadening appeal of video games makes the video game industry attractive from an investment perspective. Rather than being a cutthroat battle for market share, as is the case in most media including TV, print publications and Internet, the video game industry is still big enough for there to be plenty of business for most of the players.

Also interestingly, despite the advances made in the current generation of technology, the investment options haven't changed all that much from the previous generation. Below is a quick summary of the different plays that are available to investors looking to invest in various aspects of the video-game industry:

1. The hardware makers. These companies develop the hardware that games are played on. This includes the big three console makers, Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo. But I've also included several publicly traded makers of personal computers and graphics cards, which have divisions and products dedicated to gaming.