One of the growing phenomena of our digital age is the proliferation of digital fan spaces (Gee, 2018). Dedicated to a specific fandom or activity, these spaces have allowed participants to play competitively, share videos with each other, create fanfiction, provide feedback to one another and engage in a host of literacies around something they share an affinity for (Black, 2009; Gee, 2017a). Through advances in technology, access to multiple tools and highly specialized knowledge of specific subjects, youth can now create communities in online spaces where they can engage in complex activities with their friends and fellow gamers without the presence of external moderation. As this social phenomenon has grown, so has the research around it in educational spaces. Some scholars now increasingly conduct educational research beyond what is "focused upon learning as instantiated in social institutions," (Hayes & Duncan, 2012, p. 10), or more specifically, schools. The argument presented is that schools, while an important part of learning, account for just a fraction of youths' time spent and do not account for many of the literacies and social practices they engage in when involved in these self-selected spaces. This study explores various literacy and social practices of youth in an online gaming environment. The purpose is to better understand how youth engage in literacy and social practices within spaces they themselves create and moderate in pursuit of their own interests. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]