Gamers never die; they just grow up and continue to play … and play … and play. Today, the average gamer is not in his teens, but in his early 30s and most likely male. They play at home, at social gatherings, at work (shhhh), and online.

That’s good news for 7-Eleven whose customer base skews heavily male between the ages of 18 and 34. The world’s leading convenience retailer is ready to take the proverbial plunge into video game sales after dabbling in it over the past years with successful Slurpee beverage promotions aimed at top-selling game franchises like Microsoft’s Halo and EA Sport’s Madden.

This month, participating 7-Eleven stores introduce a line-up of seven of the top video game titles for sale as well as one of the most comprehensive selection of prepaid gift cards for another growing gaming phenomenon–Massively Multi-player Online Games, or MMOGs.

“Video games aren’t just for kids anymore, and they’re not just sold at big box and game stores either,” says Michael Jester, 7-Eleven category manager for gaming and electronics. “We can compete with the major players and offer consumers a more convenient place to purchase games and accessories. They can pay a deposit and reserve their copies ahead of time and pick them up starting midnight on the release date at locations closer to their homes.”

The video game industry is a $12 billion business and growing. A recent survey by the Entertainment Software Association found that 65 percent of American households play computer and video games, with 41 percent of Americans expecting to purchase one or more games this year. Of the top-selling games, 85 percent are rated E for “Everyone” and T for “Teen.”