Game development is typically taught as a semester-long project course. While we offer such a course at the NYU Game Center, key limitations of this format led us to develop a modding-based game development class as an additional option. Modding the base code of several simple games in a range of genres allows students more breadth of experience and iteration, and creates interesting team and class-level dynamics that support learning. In this session attendees will get an overview of the modding approach, with examples of projects students have created, and advice for how to use modding in their own curriculum.