Kodu Game Lab

Kodu Game LabInitial release| June 30, 2009; 16 years ago (2009-06-30)[1]

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Stable release|

1.6.18.0 / April 9, 2023; 3 years ago (2023-04-09)[2]

Written in| C#
Operating system| Windows
Type| Visual programming
Website| kodugamelab.com

Kodu Game Lab, originally named Boku, is a programming integrated development environment (IDE) by Microsoft's FUSE Labs. It runs on Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. It was released on the Xbox Live Marketplace on June 30, 2009.[3] A Windows version is available to the general public for download from Microsoft's FUSE web portal.[4] As of 2023, it still receives occasional updates. [5]

## Contents

* 1 Overview
* 2 Language design
* 3 Input
* 4 Characters
* 5 See also
* 6 References
* 7 External links

## Overview

Kodu is different from other game development or programming apps in several key ways:

* It avoids typing code by having users program through blocks representing conditions and responses.
* Rather than a bitmapped or 2D display, programs are executed in a 3D simulation environment.
* Users are limited to visual options and settings provided by the program.

Kodu Game Lab has been used as an educational learning tool in selected schools and learning centers. Games created in Kodu can be given a title, description, and any combination of built-in tags, as well as be shared online in the "Community" tab.

## Language design

File:Kodu launch program.pngIn this example, the character would launch a Heart when the spacebar is pressed.

Kodu's programming model is simplified and can be navigated using a gaming controller or a combination of the keyboard and mouse. It does not use most "serious" programming conventions, including symbolic variables, branching, loops, number and string manipulation, subroutines, polymorphism, and so on. Kodu uses a logic-based system, making it simple to understand for beginners.

The simplicity is achieved by situating the programming task in a largely complete simulation environment. The user programs the behaviors of characters in the 3D world, and programs are expressed in a high-level, sensory paradigm consisting of a rule-based system or language, based on conditions and actions similarly to AgentSheets.

The typical "hello world" of Kodu is:

> WHEN see apple DO move toward

The grammar, as it were, of this expression is:

> <condition> <action>

Where <condition> is:

> <sensor> [<filter(s)> ...]

And <action> is:

> <verb> [<modifier(s)> ...]

An illustrative variant of the above program, with filters and modifiers applied, is:

> WHEN see apple blue close-by DO move toward quickly

In the above example, the character with this line of code would move quickly toward the closest nearby apple, provided it is colored blue. Code blocks in Kodu can be indented, allowing for more than one condition per action.

## Input

A typical line of code for moving a character using an Xbox controller.

Kodu allows for user input by setting particular WHEN tiles. Keyboard, mouse, and controller input are accepted. This is primarily used to create controllable characters, but can be applied to any DO function.

When programming controller input, player slot can be specified. This (on the Xbox version) can be used to create multiplayer games.

## Characters

File:Kodu bots screenshot.pngThe characters section in Kodu

Kodu provides users with a large variety of characters called "bots" which can be placed anywhere in the 3D world. Generally, a bot will have unique attributes and physics properties that cannot be changed. "Object" bots, such as rocks and apples, cannot be programmed to move. Certain characters have unique, character-specific abilities (for example, only the Rover can use various science-themed actions. It also lacks the ability to jump or shoot).

Bots can be colored one of 11 colors, and have their size and various properties changed. They are the only part of the game that can be programmed using the tile system, and are the primary way of creating games in Kodu.

Because player input is optional, Kodu can create zero-player games where bots only interact with each other and the world.

## See also

* Educational programming language
* Visual programming language

## References

1. ↑ "App Hub - game details". http://catalog.create.msdn.com/en-US/GameDetails.aspx?catalogEntryId=57f1e907-089a-4b5e-a4d4-4392385051f7&type=2.
2. ↑ "Commits · scoy/KoduGameLab". https://github.com/scoy/KoduGameLab/commits/main.
3. ↑ "Xbox LIVE Marketplace". http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d8025855024c.
4. ↑ What is Kodu | Projects | Fuse Labs
5. ↑ scoy (2023-04-09). "New Kodu Release 1.6.18.0" (in en). https://www.kodugamelab.com/2023/04/09/new-kodu-release-1-6-18-0.html.

This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (July 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

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* The Age (Australia): "Get With the Program"
* Information Week: Microsoft Research Provides Sneak Preview Of 'Kodu' Programming Environment For Kids
* Wired: TechFest Demo: Kodu
* Seed Magazine on Kodu
* Slate Magazine: Logo on Steroids
* Edge Magazine: Do You Kodu?

## External links

* Kodu - Microsoft Research

* v
* t
* e

Microsoft Research (MSR)

Main
projects|

| Languages and compilers|

* Polyphonic C#
* Cω
* Spec#
* Sing#
* Bartok
* F*
* Phoenix

|

Distributed/grid computing|

* Bigtop
* Gridline
* BitVault
* Orleans

Internet and networking|

* AjaxView
* Avalanche
* Conference XP
* Gazelle
* HoneyMonkey
* Penny Black
* Wallop

Other projects|

* Cognitive Toolkit
* IllumiRoom
* Image Composite Editor
* MyLifeBits
* LiveStation
* SLAM
* Terminator
* WorldWide Telescope
* PhotoDNA
* Z3 Theorem Prover

Operating systems|

* Barrelfish
* HomeOS
* Midori
* Singularity
* Verve

APIs|

* Joins
* Accelerator
* Dryad
* SXM

Launched as products|

* C#
* Comic Chat
* Detours
* F#
* Sideshow
* PixelSense (TouchLight)
* SenseCam
* ClearType
* Group Shot
* Allegiance
* TrueSkill
* Songsmith
* Xbox
* Kinect

MSR Labs
applied
research|

| Live Labs|

| Current|

* Pivot
* Seadragon
* Deep Zoom
* DeepZoomPix

|

Discontinued|

* Deepfish
* Listas
* Live Clipboard
* Photosynth
* Volta

FUSE Labs|

* Bing Twitter
* Docs.com
* Kodu

Other labs|

* Academic Search
* adCenter Labs
* Office Labs

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