Thread: Kodu for child developer

Microsoft has freshly proclaimed the availability of the Technical Preview for PC Kodu, the visual programming language for children 9 to 10 years presented by Steve Ballmer during his Keynote at CES.

Kodu PC

The Technical Preview is used to override a joystick in favor of a keyboard and mouse. It can also export its game and saved in a file that can be sent by email to share its code. Installation has been simplified and Microsoft also expanded the list of compatible hardware, knowing all along that the purpose of this Technical Preview is to fix bugs and ensure that Kodu works on most machines possible.

Kodu child

Kodu, which was originally called Boku, was born when Matt MacLaurin, a researcher for Microsoft, noted that his three year old daughter was interested in the Facebook account of his mother. He therefore decided to design a language for children requiring only joystick and using simple rules that children can create their own games video. Kodu was originally available on Xbox and presented in 2009. Microsoft has since worked to bring the PC environment by trying to make the program compatible with a keyboard and mouse.

Kodu is already installed in nearly 200 U.S. schools and has been downloaded more than 200 000 times. The program is available free on the site Kodu Microsoft. You can also see the presentation of this environment at CES 2010 on YouTube.