Because video games are so popular with young people, researchers have explored ways to use game play to engage students in school subjects (Peppler & Kafai, 2007; Rockwell & Kee, 2011; Small, 2011). Motivating students in science is especially important because of declines both in the number of young people who choose science careers and in the number of adults who have a sufficient grasp of science to make thoughtful decisions (Bell, Lewenstein, Shouse, & Feder, 2009). To counter these trends, informal science educators have adopted video games and simulations as teaching tools and have called for research on how games can motivate youth to engage with science (Honey & Hilton, 2011). Video games that provide level-building capabilities (Reiber, 2005) can be particularly useful in fostering informal science learning. To add to the knowledge base, the authors studied how students used level-based video game development in an out-of-school time (OST) setting to learn science content. Building on prior efforts (Evans & Biedler, 2012; Evans, Norton, Chang, Deater-Deckard, & Balci, 2013; Evans, Pruett, Chang, & Nino, 2014), they explored how the project incorporated the video game to support learners' science motivation. This work with a commercial off-the-shelf video game is an example of how a learner-centered, technology-infused approach can advance the theory and practice of informal science learning (Honey & Hilton, 2011).