'Kids don't feel like they're programming so much as playing, even though they're creating sophisticated worlds, characters and storylines.' 'Our research has shown that Kodu Game Lab appeals equally to girls and boys and helps promote creativity, self-confidence, critical thinking and technology skills,' said Lili Cheng, general manager of Microsoft's Future Social Experiences Labs. Kodu Game Lab helps kids build a strong foundation in STEM-related skills and inspires them to study and pursue STEM fields in a way that's both fun and interesting to them. will have more than 2 million job openings in STEM-related fields by 2014. As stated in President Obama's State of the Union address in late January 2011, STEM skills are increasingly critical to remaining competitive in the workforce and the world. 'Microsoft's Kodu Cup is a great way to harness that passion and apply it in a way that helps improve academic achievement, skills and interest in the careers of the future, which are going to fuel our country.'ĭeveloped by Microsoft Research, Kodu Game Lab is designed to promote learning skills for children while igniting their interest in future careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Levine, Ph.D., executive director of the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop. 'Today's kids have a natural passion for video games and video game design,' said Michael H. It also includes a community feature that allows users to share games with other PC-based Kodu Game Lab users. The full release of Kodu Game Lab for the PC includes new features, such as an interactive system that guides users through each step of making games - creating terrain, adding characters and programming them. They do this by building virtual cartoon characters and the worlds in which those characters live. The tool builds real-world skills by encouraging kids to analyze a problem and develop a solution. Microsoft Kodu Game Lab, available at, is a free game design tool that enables kids to easily build their own video games for the PC within minutes by dragging and dropping images and simple icons, rather than using complex programming languages. Kodu Cup invites students, ages 9 to 17, to design, build and submit their own video games using the Kodu Game Lab software- no previous programming experience necessary! Starting today, kids can enter the competition, read the Official Rules and learn more at.

today announced the full availability of Microsoft Kodu Game Lab for the PC and the launch of the nationwide Microsoft Kodu Cup 2011 competition. REDMOND, Wash., Ma/PRNewswire/ - Microsoft Corp.

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