While not as general-purpose as classical programming languages, Kodu can express advanced game design concepts in a simple, direct, and intuitive manner. Kodu Game Lab (KGL) is a tile-based visual programming environment that enables users to create and play video games and animated stories that include feature rich multimedia and multisensory content. Over the years, it has caught the attention of educators who see the potential for kids to become creators and to learn more about game design, logic, and coding. Programs are expressed in physical terms, using concepts like vision, hearing, and time to control character behavior. Kodu Game Lab was originally released by Microsoft in 2009 on both Windows and the Xbox platforms. The Kodu language is designed specifically for game development and provides specialized primitives derived from gaming scenarios.
This Microsoft’s software provides an end-to-end creative environment for designing, building, and playing your own new games. Programs are composed of pages, which are broken down into rules, which are further divided into conditions and actions.
The language is simple and entirely icon-based. The core of the Kodu project is the programming user interface. You can use this application to teach creativity, problem solving, storytelling, as well as programming.Īnyone can use Kodu Game Lab to make a game, young children as well as adults with no design or programming skills. Kodu Game Lab lets kids create games on the PC and XBox via a simple visual programming language. The programming environment runs on the Xbox, allowing rapid design iteration using only a game controller for input (mouse/keyboard input is also supported). It is designed to be accessible for children and enjoyable for anyone.
Kodu Game Lab is a new visual programming language by Microsoft made specifically for creating games.