Good teaching is a form of design. Yet, while there has been a significant increase in game-based learning approaches over the last decade, little work has been done to bridge the good pedagogical principles of games with a robust theory of teaching and course design. This paper describes the implementation of two “game-inspired” undergraduate courses which leveraged the conceptual and organizational principles of games to structure each course. While both courses established student roles aligned to content goals, one course emphasized collaboration structures and specialization, while the other iterated roles in the service of supporting a broader dispositional development. We argue that course design is one way of meaningfully orienting learners’ engagement with the course content and their own participation.