Kodu Game Lab (Xbox 360)
common sense media says
Innovative game creator is powerful but hard to learn.
parents & educators say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this is less a game and more a game design application. It is found in the Xbox Live user community and is only available for download through the online Xbox marketplace. As such, it has not been rated by the ESRB. It allows players to create their own games, which means the content experienced will be different for each player. That said, options are limited to features built into the software. For example, players can make “bots” that kick, shoot missiles, and throw rocks, but they can’t alter how they explode or make them begin to spurt blood. However, there’s nothing stopping a player from, say, designing a piece of virtual land that resembles a human body part. Completed levels can be shared with up to seven people on your friends list; no random strangers are allowed in multiplayer games.
Educational value:
Players’ understanding of game design will likely increase dramatically as they experiment with scores of rules governing the game’s characters and environments. It’s not the same as learning how to code a game, but all of the basic rules for creating a wide variety of traditional games are here waiting to be explored.
Positive role models:
Since you design your own games, the potential is there for both positive and negative role models.
Ease of play:
This application is not very user friendly. Players are essentially learning how to use a basic game design application, which means most of their time will be spent learning the software’s features and rules. There aren’t any interactive tutorials; players must navigate through radial menus reading pop-up descriptions for each tool. Much patience is required.
Violence:
Non-human “bot” characters can be programmed to do things like shoot missiles, throw rocks, and kick objects. These characters typically disappear in a puff of smoke when defeated.
Sex:
Not an issue.
Language:
Not an issue.
Consumerism:
Not an issue.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
Not an issue.
More on Kodu Game Lab
Screenshots
Review It
Most useful reviews by all members
BWD
parent of 3 , 8 , 9 , and 9 , 10 year old
parent of 3 , 8 , 9 , and 9 , 10 year old
Better than CSM Review
Unlike the CSM review, I did find a tutorial...essentially a set of objectives that slowly teach you different ways to build and modify pre-existing games. My eight year old was able to build a rudimentary (and fun) co-op game within the first hour he played with it. Agree that it doesn't have the polish of LBP on PS3, but this is a $5 Indie game and with that in mind, its a very, very good value. This also is good for teaching logic, because you can build a lot of if-thens into your game...the designers envisioned what if someone made the equivalent of LOGO for today's kids...and this is it!
Flag as inappropriate
was this review useful?
|
|
An independent voice for families
Advice on the big issues
Already played it? What do you think?
Great alternatives handpicked by our editors
