\nOriginally designed as a learning tool for youngsters using Xbox 360, Kodu was released a year ago<\/a> as service with a powerful programming language that quickly became a hit in academic circles. Since its release, Kodu has been downloaded more than 200,000 times and is used in more than 60 educational institutions across the globe, according to Microsoft. Redmond thinks Kodu’s biggest hurdle so far, however, has been that schools needed to purchase Xbox 360s, controllers, and so on to get started. Thus, the software giant has ported the tool to Windows as most educational institutes already have PCs with mice and keyboards.\n<\/p>\n According to the Microsoft, developers aged from seven to 70 can use Kodu to string together simple cartoon icons that define the rules of their game world, rather than using a complex programming language. Microsoft hopes Kodu will continue to be used to introduce children to programming, help them advance their design, math, and problem-solving skills, as well as encourage students to truly engage with computers, instead of experiencing them passively.\n<\/p>\n