There has been a recent increase in the number of game environments or engines that allow users to customize their gaming experiences by building and expanding game behavior. This article describes the use of modifying, or modding, existing games as a means to learn computer science, mathematics, physics, and aesthetic principles. We describe two exploratory case studies of game modding in classroom settings to illustrate skills learned by students as a result of modding existing games. We also discuss the benefits of learning computer sciences skills (e.g., 3D graphics/mathematics, event-based programming, software engineering, etc.) through large design projects and how game design motivates students to acquire and apply these skills. We describe our use of multiple game modding environments in our classes. In addition, we describe how different engines can be used to focus students on the acquisition of particular skills and concepts.  In the late 1990s, game developers began to separate gaming experiences (e.g., rules, behaviors, characters) from the underlying engines that power them. These game engines allow designers to create new game behaviors and graphics by plugging into reusable architectures that handle polygon rendering, camera control, lighting, and so on. Many popular game engines come with scripting languages that allow users to modify their behaviors, create new worlds for exploration, or even modify existing games into completely new ones. This process, often referred to as modding, still requires designers to understand how to communicate with game engines, but the overhead of creating a working product is significantly less than working without the functionality that these engines provide. Modding offers a number of advantages over designing games from scratch [Emmerson 2004] . The time and costs related to video game development are enormous, preventing most individuals from being able to create games that resemble those built by corporate designers. However, modifying existing games is within the reach of many game players, as companies provide tools to allow designers to tweak their games. Since modding begins with popular, proven game concepts, the resulting variations are more likely to resemble games that players/modders are accustomed to than if they had to build entire game infrastructures on their own.
El-Nasr and Smith describe how modifying or modding existing games can be used to learn CS, mathematics, physics, and ascetic principles REF .
Learning through game modding
CIE
Computer Science