Insights into Learning Offered by the Dispositions of Second-Generation “Newbie” Gamers

Concerns about the content of videogames continue to hold media attention, but researchers like Gee (2003) and Thomas and Brown (2007, 2011) have dug deeper in order to explore how the merging of play and learning within game structures encourages learning and a “gamer disposition” (Brown and Thomas, 2008). Building on research into communities in computer-mediated spaces (Boellstorff, 2008; Nardi, 2010; Rheingold, 2000; Taylor, 2006; Turkle, 1995), this paper argues that the majority of World of Warcraft players are not stereotypical “first-generation” gamers but are instead “second-generation” gamers who are new to online game spaces and do not have a firm grasp of gaming culture or a gamer disposition. By examining their gameplay styles, social interaction, and entry into gaming culture, the dispositions of second-generation gamers contrast with “the gamer disposition;” however, as these players become more invested in gaming
culture, they can develop a first-generation disposition.