Advice: teacher's guide to video game consoles

Most physical education teachers are physically active, having spent a great deal of time from their youth playing sports. When not playing they were training in the gym or on the field to raise their game and improve their best. This lifestyle left little time to indulge in the world of video game consoles.

The video game console is a key component of almost all exergames and this post explains the basics you need to know, so you can concentrate of delivering physical education. The mainstream video game consoles are Sony PlayStation, Microsoft Xbox and, of course, Nintendo Wii. You don't need to know the particular differences between these, they all have the same basic components.

The three main components are the game disc, the console and the controller. The controller is connected to the console and is not interchangeable between consoles of different types. Video game consoles can use up to four controllers at any one time allowing four players to share in the same game. One trick to bear in mind is the PlayStation 2, needs a special extension called a "muti-tap" to enable four controllers to be connected.

The game disc normally holds one game and there are a large number and variety of games available for each console. Games can be either a single player or up to four player, this is shown on the back of the game case. This determines the number of controllers and therefore players that can use a single console simultaneously. You should always check the video game age rating for the suitability of the game.

Loading a game disc and connecting controllers to a console is simple enough. Powering on the console is also straightforward with two main types of power, a simple cord or a two piece cord that connects a power pack to the the console and the electrical outlet. Normally the most challenging aspect of setting up a video game console is the connection to the screen.

Consoles use mainly scart connections or the three of yellow, red and white phono (RCA video) plugs. If your screen only has scart then the little adapter on the right of the above picture is what you'll need to convert from the three plugs to the recognisable scart connection. Your console video lead could, for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, be an optional HDMI cable for high definition games which works very well on large screens.

Lastly, don't rule out a projector rather than a screen. These are great for showcasing your exergames during open days and kids like nothing better than playing games on the big screen. Projectors can also be combined with the PlayStation and Xbox consoles to play and show educational DVDs.

If all the video cables still worry you then relax, the good news is that none of these require the set to be "tuned in", it's all plug and play just look for the AV or "source" button on the TV/screen's remote to find the right input. If all this fails, in a class full of children, at least half will know how it all works!