REDMOND, Wash. — March 19, 2013 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the launch of the Imagine Cup Kodu Challenge, a new Microsoft Imagine Cup competition that offers aspiring game developers, ages 9 to 18, the opportunity to learn coding by developing a video game with Kodu, an easy-to-learn, game-creation toolkit and programming language available for free download on Windows-based PCs. Microsoft has drawn on the expertise of Mercy Corps and the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop to launch this new challenge as part of Imagine Cup, Microsoft’s student technology skills development program and competition.
“Microsoft developed Kodu to transform programming from a skill
perceived as overly difficult to grasp to one that is fun and
kid-friendly,” said Scott Fintel, producer for Kodu at Microsoft. “By
getting students interested in game design at an early age through
Imagine Cup, it’s our hope they will acquire new skills that will
translate into a lifelong passion for computer programming and computer
science and will encourage them to explore STEM-related careers in the
future.”
The Kodu Challenge runs from March 19 through May 17, 2013, and
invites students in two age brackets (9–12 and 13–18) to design games on
the Kodu platform. For this challenge, participants will explore the
relationships between water and people through the medium of Kodu video
games. Although the only limits for these kids are their imaginations,
the partnership with Mercy Corps offers the chance to learn and explore
water-related issues, including disaster relief, clean-water engineering
projects and much more, through a video series on the Kodu Challenge
website. While acquiring valuable skills such as critical thinking,
storytelling and programming, students in both age brackets will compete
for first-place prizes of US$3,000, second-place prizes of US$2,000 and
third-place prizes of US$1,000.
“At Mercy Corps, we are acutely aware of the relationship between
water and people. While too much water can cause flooding, forcing
people from their homes and destroying infrastructure, too little water
can result in crop failure, conflict over scarce resources and
malnutrition,” said Dr. Rebecca Wolfe, senior youth and peace-building
advisor at Mercy Corps. “We believe in the power of games to help young
people grapple with difficult issues. The Imagine Cup Kodu Challenge
offers young students a valuable opportunity to develop new skills while
creating games that illustrate the important role water plays in
people’s lives around the world.”
With nearly one-half million downloads since its release and more
than 16,000 kid-created games currently available for download, Kodu has
proven an effective way to teach programming to young students. There
will be additional Kodu-focused Imagine Cup challenges by Microsoft
launching later this year, reflective of Imagine Cup’s evolution into an
ongoing opportunity for students of all backgrounds and disciplines to
learn coding and develop new skills with a chance to win cash prizes or
travel.
“The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop studies how kids
use and learn from digital media. The experience kids have creating
their own video games with Kodu represents a strong, multidisciplinary
approach to learning and skill development that harnesses kids’ natural
love of play with creativity, technical abilities and a deep immersion
in fascinating topics,” said Michael Levine, executive director of the
Cooney Center.
As a key program of Microsoft YouthSpark, Imagine Cup inspires
students to tackle software development projects using Microsoft’s tools
and platforms from the initial brainstorming phase through final
release and beyond, transforming them from passive consumers of
technology to skilled creators. Through its varied contests such as the
Kodu Challenge, Imagine Cup uses the thrill of competition to drive
students to develop new skills, test themselves in new ways, lead
multidisciplinary teams and take command of their future careers.
In addition to unveiling the Kodu Challenge, Microsoft recently launched two new Imagine Cup competitions that focus on women and female technology innovators. The Women’s Empowerment Award was established in partnership with UN Women,
the U.N. organization working to accelerate gender equality and the
empowerment of women, and will be awarded to two student teams of any
gender that create projects that best address issues impacting women
globally. Microsoft also announced the Women’s Athletics App Challenge, in partnership with the Seattle Storm
women’s basketball team, which encourages female developers, innovators
and entrepreneurs to create software related to sports, health or
fitness.
About Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps helps people turn the crises they confront into the
opportunities they deserve. Driven by local needs, its programs provide
communities in the world’s toughest places with the tools and support
they need to transform their own lives. Mercy Corps works in over 40
countries, improving the lives of 19 million people. For more
information, see mercycorps.org.
About the Cooney Center
The Joan Ganz Cooney Center (www.joanganzcooneycenter.org)
is an independent nonprofit research and innovation organization that
focuses on the challenges of educating children in today’s rapidly
changing digital media landscape. The Cooney Center conducts research on
emerging technologies in learning and collaborates with educators,
media producers, policymakers and investors to put research into action.
The Cooney Center’s research and programs primarily focus on
intergenerational learning, literacy and educational games. The Cooney
Center is the founder of the Games and Learning Publishing Council and
co-presents the National STEM Video Game Challenge.
About Microsoft Imagine Cup
This is the 11th year of Imagine Cup, part of Microsoft
YouthSpark, which will be celebrated at the Worldwide Finals in St.
Petersburg, Russia, July 8–11. Students ages 16 and older are eligible
to register and compete in Imagine Cup by visiting
http://www.imaginecup.com. A full list of competition categories is
available at http://imaginecup.com/main/compete.
About Microsoft YouthSpark
Microsoft YouthSpark is a global initiative that aims to create
opportunities for 300 million youth in more than 100 countries during
the next three years. This companywide initiative includes Citizenship
and other company programs — both new and enhanced — that empower youth
to imagine and realize their full potential by connecting them with
greater opportunities for education, employment and entrepreneurship.
Find out more at http://www.microsoft.com/youthspark.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader
in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses
realize their full potential.
Note to editors: For more information, news and perspectives from Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft News Center at http://www.microsoft.com/news.
Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of
publication, but may have changed. For additional assistance,
journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or
other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/news/contactpr.mspx.
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