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        Thirteen-year-old Sathish is busy teaching his grandfather Ramanujam, 60, in his flat at a multistoreyed apartment on how to defend the country from enemies with a gaming device.

        In peaking summer, a range of video games, devices and gizmos have grabbed the attention of not only children, but also elders in the families. Especially, the PlayStation bug has invaded the mind space of city kids like never before. 'I started to work on PlayStation - 1 a few days ago and it has hooked me ever since. The clarity and the life-like effects of the product drew me to it. I am really obsessed with the experience drawn from this gaming device. It's really exciting and I am waiting to try out the PlayStation 3,' says Ramanujam.

        'There seems to be no age limit for being gaming enthusiasts. Products like PlayStation 3 and X Box are becoming popular among people of all age groups,' says Rajamurthy, a salesman in Sony World. But how come these gizmos primarily meant for kids are now attracting elderly too?

        Unlike other video games, PlayStation games appeal to everyone with their real-life like ambience involving human characters, says David, an avid player of video games. These gaming devices are based on popular sports like soccer and cricket and are amazing to play with, he says.

        But for Vimal, 23, an MBA student, the PlayStation is a way to make some quick bucks too as he wins regularly through betting on the games.

        'However, the price of PlayStaion is too costly and it puts gaming buffs down,' he complains.

        Priced around Rs 40,000, the spread of PlayStation is now confined to children of upper-class families, even as there are many in the elite society too who feel such a play device is prohibitive for their children.

        Though there are many enquiries in showrooms, the sales of the gaming device are always on the low-ebb, informs a proprietor at a hardware shop. But X Box which has basic features of PlayStation is priced much lesser and tops the sales chart among top of the shelf gaming device.

        But a merchandising officer says as purchasing power in Chennai is on the rise, an aggressive marketing is necessary for shop owners retailing the PlayStation. 'Only if such an aggressive marketing is taken up, PlayStation will become the talk of the town,' avers a salesman.

        Real-time feel and experience are stacked in these digital gizmos, young minds have started to look up to gaming devices without venturing into the outside world. A whole new wave of creativity is being tapped by the digital world. Gone are the age-old grandma stories of legendary warriors, historical and religious epics and moral fables.

        Today's kids are brought up in a social milieu devoid of mom's soothing lullabies, grandma's repertoire of fantasy stories or heroic exploits of national heroes. Many children may not even heard of the brilliant fables in Panchatantra or Jataka Tales and the eternal wisdom embedded in them. Nowadays, children kill the summer with swift movement of their fingers on gaming consoles for a digital experience of life.