B. E. Shelton, D. A. Wiley (eds.), Educational Design & Use of Computer Simulation Games,129–152. © 2007 Sense Publishers. All rights reserved. RYAN M. MOELLER, JASON L. COOTEY, & KEN S. MCALLISTER “THE PERIPATOS COULD NOT HAVE LOOKED LIKE THAT,” AND OTHER EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES FROM STUDENT GAME DESIGN INTRODUCTION Several recent studies have sought to prove that computer games 1 teach players something, from basic literacies to advanced problem solving skills (Kirriemuir, 2002; Gee, 2003; Prensky, 2003; and McAllister 2005). In fact, the majority of literature on game design and education addresses how and what people learn by playing particular games. In this chapter, we offer evidence to support a hypothesis of computer game-oriented education: that computer game-based pedagogy can be significantly enhanced when students are allowed to design and build the games with faculty guidance. Building on the work of psychologist J. Piaget, S. Papert (1980) draws a hypothesis similar to ours when he advocates the use of computer programming as an effective teaching tool: “The child programs the computer. And in teaching the computer how to think, children embark on an exploration about how they themselves think” (p. 19). Seif El-Nasr and Smith (2006) support this claim, citing the following learning objectives for a student game design project: software development and design, including team work, building critiques and reflections on others’ work, project scheduling, project management, iterations and refinement, and prototyping; programming concepts, including threading and event-based programming, object-oriented programming, component-based development, and software patterns; artistic concepts, including lighting, architecture design, and character design; and game concepts, including game design, game mechanics, and balancing game aesthetics and game play. (p. 17) As readers of this volume already know, computer games hold considerable pedagogical potential. Not only can they be used to teach software programming and design, teachers can use games to teach specific subject matter and research methods. For the authors of this chapter—all of whom teach and conduct research in the humanities—this subject matter can take several forms, including history, politics, and culture. cite as: Moeller, R. M., Cootey, J., & McAllister, K. S. (2007). "The Peripatos could not have looked like that," and other educational outcomes from student game development. In B. E. Shelton & D. Wiley (Eds.), The Design and Use of Simulation Computer Games in Education (pp. 131-154). Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers.