Kids Can Now Build Their Own Xbox Games with Kodu Game Lab

[Casino67]

readwriteweb.com:

Boosting STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education has become a priority for the government, for schools, and for tech companies. In emphasizing the importance of doing so, many point to statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor that note that while there will be more than 2 million job openings in STEM-related fields by 2014, fewer than 15% of U.S. college undergraduates now pursue degrees in science or engineering.

It isn't enough to convince college students to major in science - or rather, by the time students hit college, it may be too late to pique their interest in the field. So many STEM efforts are aimed at encouraging the scientific and technical minds of younger students.

One way to ignite that interest is to give kids the skills so they can build and play their own video games. That's the idea behind Microsoft's Kodu, a visual programming language and game development tool. A product of Microsoft FUSE Labs, Kodu Game Lab enables children as young as five to design, build, and play their own games on the PC and Xbox.

[Saltbag]

Love it, thanks Casino67. I forwarded it to friends and family with younger kids, especially my engineering buddies.

 

I got into programming computer games using books and guides around 6th grade, and it helped make me the geek I am today. (Go Commodore 64!)

[Casino67]

Glad it is of use. Let me know how it works out for everyone.