In this paper, we report the results of a 3-year, quasi-experimental study comparing students' engagement and deep learning of course materials between students who took an undergraduate engineering course that used a video game approach to a control group. The video game, EduTorcs, provided challenges in which students devised control algorithms that race virtual cars through a simulated race track. Theoretically, the study is rooted in Mayer and colleague's cognitive theory of multimedia learning. Engagement was measured with the Experience Sampling Method. Students taking the game-based course reported greater intrinsic motivation and engagement than students taking the course in the traditional way; and they performed significantly better on tests of complex course concepts designed to measure deep learning.