You can zoom in and out of the 3D environment via the mouse and scroll wheel, and drag and place 3D objects to build the game environment much like building a Lego universe. A Mac-like dock on bottom is the starting point for all actions (see image below). The user interface: Kodu looks more like a game than a game engine. These contingencies may have made the project too ambitious and more likely to fail but it didn’t. The console connection also meant that the games were designed to look like console games, which is to say they look good, slightly cartoonish, and user friendly. The end result, a game designing environment built for consoles with an extremely simplified interface. The console connection: Kodu was developed for the Xbox, with the expectation that users would be using a game controller to program it. “It’s easier, and it’s 3D, and it’s cooler” is a direct quote 😉 We were amazed at the results he could get so quickly out of both but Kodu is his clear favorite. Therefore, we introduced him first to Scratch and then Kodu, both game building environments for kids. An avid gamer (like his dad), his mother and I try to limit his screen time, but recently we figured that he could get more out of trying to make games rather than just consuming them.

Aside from being a game creation engine, it is also fun to work with and a terrific educational tool.Ī case study: my son, age 8, is growing up in a world of ubiquitous computers, Xboxes, iPhones, iPads, and gadgets of all kinds. Kodu is surprisingly powerful and versatile I have seen it produce remarkable results within an hour or two of my eight year old using it. Kodu does this by provding a large repertoire of object and logic to begin with that the user can customize, combine, tweak, and work with in a wide variety of different ways. Originally designed for the easy creation of 3D games on the Xbox using only a game controller, games can be constructed by combining visual elements together to construct the game environment and logic. Kodu Game Labs from Microsoft is a powerful, free game creation engine for children and adults alike.

Kodu game lab mac