This chapter examines tensions in an online forum to explore how lack of a shared purpose has affected, and continues to affect, this online gaming-related fan site. Lammers poses a larger question regarding the necessity of a (single) shared purpose and if it needs to be made explicit and remain consistent within online fan sites. To pursue these questions, she qualitatively examined forum threads in which members of The Sims Writers’ Hangout (SWH) discuss happenings and observed their practices around creating and sharing Sims fan fiction. Using Gee’s (2004) theory of affinity spaces as a framework for making sense of this site, this analysis of the SWH forum adds to our understanding of the complex nature of online fan spaces.
Center for Learning in the Digital Age (LiDA)
Transforming Education by Leveraging Digital Technologies
