Video gamers who want to create their own game will soon have an easier way to do so using the Xbox 360.
USA Today reports that Microsoft will release a game creation program this spring that is simple enough for a child to use. Designing the entire game can be done with a controller.
The software, called Kodu, lets users create a game with a variety of characters and objects such as turtles, flying saucers, submarines and motorcyles. Users can also create their own worlds for their characters, or customize pre-created worlds.
The company tested out Kodu in an afterschool program for kids at University of Santa Barbara. The kids used Kodu to build games that taught them about science, math, logic and problem solving.
"The feedback was incredible," Chris Satchell, the CTO of Microsoft's interactive business told USA Today. "The children loved to build their own games."
Previously, programmers could buy Microsoft's XNA Game Studio to create video games but it required prior programming experience.
Microsoft has not yet announced how much Kodu will cost.
