It's a far cry from roping cattle or growing the most gigantic pumpkin.

The Utah State Fair is taking advantage of the growing video game culture and sponsoring two tournaments this week for the young and old with itchy gaming thumbs.

There will be a Wii bowling tournament for seniors age 62 or older and a "Guitar Hero" challenge for Jimi Hendrix wannabes who want to show their mettle for heavy metal. Both will be held at the fair's Interactive Gaming Experience (IGX) tent near the Pioneer Building.

The Wii bowling tournament will be Sept. 10 at 5 p.m. The "Guitar Hero" tournament will be held Sept. 11 at 6 p.m. To register for either tournament, go to www.utahstatefair.com.

"A lot of fairs are trying to find ways to get seniors more involved," Jamie Jackson, the Utah State Fair's special events director, about why they're holding the seniors Wii bowling tournament.

"This is so they have something of their own. We all focus on how to get the kids here - and the seniors do come - but it seems they don't have anything focused on them," she added.

Nintendo's blockbuster video game system, released in 2006, is distinguished by its wireless controller known as the Wii Remote which allows players to swing it like a golf club or baseball bat.

In Wii bowling, a game that comes with the system, players bowl virtual frames by swinging the controller like a bowling ball.

Senior citizens centers around the country have been using the Wii, as well as some hospital rehab centers, because it promotes physical activity, unlike other video game systems in which the players just sit and mash buttons.

"Seniors really like it," said Creighton Jackson, tour manager for the IGX tent, which has hosted a number of seniors Wii tournaments. "It's like a connection between seniors and young people, a way they can understand how these young people play these games."

The tournament welcomes anyone 62 and over. In addition to pre-registered players, organizers also will have 10 wild-card entries the day of the tournament. The winner receives $1,000 in prizes, including Wii accessories, games and Visa gift cards.

The next day, the fair will hold a single elimination "Guitar Hero" tournament for gift cards to the local gaming store Game Crazy.

In "Guitar Hero," players pluck away on pseudo-guitar controllers to popular rock tunes as colored "notes" scroll across the TV screen.

Contestants will play in "battle mode" in a series of two-on-two rounds. There is no age restriction.

The tournaments are part of the IGX tent, a new addition to the fair last year where different video games are set up for anyone to play for free.

Creighton Jackson said there will be 19 televisions and gaming systems set up for fairgoers to play for free, including the Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2.

Games on hand include "Outdoor Challenge" for the Wii, a soon-to-be-released game of outdoor-themed mini-games; first-person-shooting games, "Battlefield: Bad Company" and "Brothers in Arms;" and football titles "NCAA 09" and "Madden 09."