Recently, research within the digital media learning and literacy literature has moved towards analyzing productive practices in online communities 'around' popular video games (e.g. , Steinkuehler and Author, 2008 ; Author, in press; However, the rhetoric of these studies has often focused on the positive, productive and empowering perspectives of some fans/gamers in "affinity spaces" ( Gee, 2004) around games. In this article, I argue for the importance of understanding learning and literacy within online gaming communities, addressing the tension between the goals of media producers and the goals of fans. using tools within these communities. This tension is critical, I believe, to understanding the potential of these spaces as valuable learning/literacy domains, as well as meaning-making within online fan communities. World of Warcraft has been the largest massively multiplayer online game for over five years. running, with over 11.5 million concurrent subscriptions (MMOGChart.com, 2009). Focusing on discussions within the official World of Warcraft online forums (http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com), I present analyzes that address how players interacted with the game's lead designer (Dr. Greg Street, a former marine science academic who has been very active within the game's fan communities) and vice versa. Presenting findings from content analyzes (Mayring, 2000) and discourse analyzes (Gee, 2006) on online forum text, I highlight a revealing debate between these parties regarding the use of a specific data collection tool (“SimulationCraft” , an open-source tool used by gamers to collect data on game mechanics). In this exchange...... half of the article ......Discourse Analysis: Theory and Method, 2a. and. New York: Routledge.Gee, J.P., & Hayes, E.R. (in press). Women and games: The Sims and 21st century learning. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.Huizinga, J. (1955). Homo ludens: A study of the play element in culture. Boston: Beacon Press.Jenkins, H. & Squire, K. (2002): The Art of Contested Spaces. In King, L. (ed.), Game On: History and Culture of Video Games. (p.64-76) London UK: Laurence King Publishing.Mayring, P. (2000). Qualitative content analysis. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 1 (2). Retrieved from http://www.qualitativeresearch.net/index.php/fqs/article/view/1089/2385MMOGchart.com (2009). MMOGChart.com: Charting the future of the MMOG industry. Located online at http://mmogchart.comSquire, K., & Giovanetto, L. (2008). The high education of the game, E-Learning, 5(1), 2-28.