Kodu

Kodu allows adults and children alike to create their own games in a fun and exciting interface that feels like a game in its own right. The premise is simple: to teach children and adults to learn programming and coding without all the complicated and frustrating streams of actual code.

The Kodu Game Lab was set up by Microsoft, and it is still being tweaked and having all the bugs and issues ironed out, so some users may experience glitches or hiccups. These should be reported back so as to allow a fix to be designed and implemented. Users design and create their own games, using a colourful and user-friendly interface that removes the need for typing code.

By starting out with Kodu, children and adults can go through the lessons and tutorials, using the few ready-made objects and learning about them. The objects can then be placed using the mouse and keyboard. Interactions and movements can be initiated using the special card system. These practises feel like a game, challenging the user to create long streams of acceptable actions, interactions and responses, and the whole process is a literal depiction of how coding a software programme works. In this way, the user has the fun of 'playing' as they make a game, which is itself fun to use and play, but also learns a surprising amount about the basics of programming.

With most people preferring to use software rather than create it, Kodu is a great way to make new computer users realise that programming can be even more exciting than just using software created by others.

Pros

• Easy to use, but comprehensive programming editor
• Clear lessons to help the user get started
• An original concept and a great idea

Cons

• Still some glitches every now and then (but very minor)
• The programme has a rather limited number of objects