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Matt Young

Kodu

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http://www.xbox.com/en-US/community/news/2009/0107-kodu.htm

 

Unleash Your Inner Creator with Kodu

 

Published January 7, 2009

 

Xbox 360® players become creators with the release of Microsoft's new game, Kodu. Launching on the Xbox LIVE® Community Games Channel, Kodu has easy-to-use game creation techniques that make building personal playgrounds simple for anyone, with the help of an Xbox 360 controller.

"Creating a Kodu playground is not only easy,

but it is also fun and engaging."

— Matt MacLaurin, Microsoft

 

During a keynote speech at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, 12-year-old student, Sparrow joined Microsoft's President of the Entertainment and Devices Division, Robbie Bach on stage to demonstrate the intuitive game that lets players choose from a variety of visual building blocks in order to develop their own unique creation.

 

Build Your Own World

This spring, Kodu will find its home among some of the freshest, most diverse and creatively independent games showcased on the Xbox LIVE Community Games Channel. Kodu is a pick-up-and-create game where anyone can build their own unique world in just minutes using a simple image-based creator menu that makes game creation simple for anyone, from ages seven to 70. Kodu-created playgrounds are expressed in physical action-reaction terms, using basic concepts like vision, hearing and time to control your character's behavior.

 

Start your own unique Kodu-created playgrounds from scratch or, if you aren't in the mood to create, choose from several pre-loaded levels for quick play. With almost 200 different game-creation building blocks to choose from, the opportunities are endless.

 

Magic of Game Creation

"We've done everything possible to make sure that creating a Kodu playground is not only easy, but that it is also fun and engaging for people of all ages and backgrounds," principal program manager for Microsoft Research and lead Kodu designer, Matt MacLaurin said. "Since Kodu 's interface is intuitive and prevents common programming mistakes, we're making it easy for everyone to enjoy the magic of game creation."

 

Originally designed by Microsoft Research as a learning tool for young kids, Kodu is the newest game to keep minds of all ages sharp by developing logic, problem-solving and creative thinking skills. In fact, in 2006, Microsoft Research teamed up with Girls Inc. and the University of Santa Barbara to create an after-school Kodu program to accurately measure the influence educational games have in the fields of math, science, and comprehension. The team logged hundreds of hours of Kodu research with creators from ages five to 45 to ensure that it is easy for beginners, but maintains a depth of content for those who are more advanced.

 

"What I love about Kodu is that I can do everything myself," Sparrow, who demoed the game, said. " It's fast to build and different from the other games I play. I can do cool, silly things in it!"

 

Community Games Channel

Kodu joins a host of family-friendly and casual games already on the Xbox LIVE Community Games Channel. Since its launch in November, the Xbox LIVE Community Games Channel has seen a lot of enthusiasm from both game-makers and consumers, where there are currently more than 100 independent, community-created games available for download.

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