Review by Amanda Bindel, Common Sense Education | Updated November 2016

Kodu Game Lab

Open-ended game design and programming tool for visual thinkers

Subjects & skills
Subjects
  • Science
Skills
  • Creativity
  • Critical Thinking
Grades This grade range is a recommendation by Common Sense Education and not the developer/publisher.
3–12
Great for:
Common Sense says (See details)
Teachers say (11 Reviews)
Price:  Free
Platforms:  Windows, Xbox 360

Take a look inside

5 images
Students will have a blast creating their own colorful worlds.
There are a variety of options for programming your characters, from timers to scoring.
The coding logic is simpler than text-based programming but can still be difficult for some students.
Draw paths for your characters to follow.
Upload your completed worlds and search for others' games to play.

Pros: Engaging way for kids to build playable 3D video games without writing code.

Cons: While it makes coding easier, a lack of direction still may prove too difficult for newcomers.

Bottom Line: The 3D game-making environment and fun, visual logic will definitely grab some students, but others will need support the game just doesn't provide.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

While Kodu would be great for programming classrooms, it can also be used by teachers of any subject interested in cultivating 21st-century literacy skills and using game-based learning approaches. Think of Kodu less as a way to teach programming and more as a tool to demonstrate content knowledge. Students can work in project teams to design and develop games inspired by something covered in class or games that teach content to other students. 

As easy as Kodu makes things, however, it's still possibly a bit too obtuse for the uninitiated who might begin more successfully with something 2D, like Scratch or Hopscotch. But once students get the hang of it, and add in more objects and actions, they'll be building 3D games that are sure to get them excited and engaged in a way other platforms can't match.

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Put this tool into practice:
Standards:

Kodu Game Lab is a tool for making 3D video games without all the toil and complexity of real coding. Kodu's visual menus let students act as game designers, pointing and clicking to create objects (and worlds) and defining their behaviors in the game through visual, Lego-like "if this, then that" statements. When finished, students can share their worlds and games online for others to play.

Kodu provides some tutorials and a curriculum, which includes basic introductory lessons to the platform as well as math-focused lessons where kids learn core concepts like area and probability while making games. The user community also has created many other tutorials and guides for various subjects. 

When teaching programming, it can be hard to keep students engaged, since it takes a long time before they can code anything interesting. Kodu tries to avoid boredom and frustration by letting new programmers do the fun stuff first -- building a colorful 3D world, and adding characters and objects, only takes minutes. Once the world is in place, the real work begins as students add programmatic behaviors using a simple “if this, then that” visual language rather than writing actual code.

As an introduction to programming, Kodu does a great job of showing how designing a game (or other piece of software) requires breaking the problem down into individual parts. The colorful block-based code encourages discovery-based learning by toying with a core foundation of computer science: procedural logic.

Overall Rating
Engagement Is the product stimulating, entertaining, and engrossing? Will kids want to return?

Clickable menus replace written code, so it's easy to jump in and make games. Unfortunately, it's also easy for a new Kodu explorer to get lost.

Pedagogy Is learning content seamlessly baked-in, and do kids build conceptual understanding? Is the product adaptable and empowering? Will skills transfer?

Dragging images of objects into place and selecting instructional code helps kids grasp some of the harder parts of procedural programming and encourages experimentation. 

Support Does the product take into account learners of varying abilities, skill levels, and learning styles? Does it address both struggling and advanced students?

Tutorials and an online community provide a good foundation, and there's even a Kodu book for kids who want to dig deeper. A curriculum is available for teachers. 

Common Sense Reviewer
Amanda Bindel Classroom teacher
About our ratings and privacy evaluation.

Key Standards Supported

Engineering Design

  • 3-5-ETS1-1

    Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.

  • 3-5-ETS1-2

    Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

  • 3-5-ETS1-3

    Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.

  • HS-ETS1-2

    Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.

  • HS-ETS1-4

    Use a computer simulation to model the impact of proposed solutions to a complex real-world problem with numerous criteria and constraints on interactions within and between systems relevant to the problem.

  • MS-ETS1-1

    Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.

  • MS-ETS1-2

    Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

  • MS-ETS1-3

    Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each that can be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for success.

  • MS-ETS1-4

    Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.

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Teacher Reviews

(See all 11 reviews) (11 reviews) Write a review
Featured review by
Chris V. , Classroom teacher
Classroom teacher
Fun Programming, Lots of Distractions
Super motivating for students and the fact that they get to use an x-box controller in class is even more incentive. Students seem to catch on really quickly to the concepts and enjoy creating. I have found that students can sometimes get lost quickly and are distracted easily in the process. I like the idea of teaching programming through creation tools and this should fit the bill, however I don't think students can afford as much time as it takes to create something (our curriculum is just too large to support it).
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