This article reports on a project that used a game-creation tool to introduce middle-school students ages 10 to 13 to problem-solving strategies similar to those in computer science through the lens of studio-based design arts. Drawing on historic paradigms in design pedagogy and contemporary educational approaches in the digital arts to teach young learners about computing, this program employed a programmatic perspective to design a curriculum that emphasizes creativity within specified design tasks, instead of free-form individual artistry.