Playing is just the beginning: Social learning dynamics in game communities of inquiry.

Background: Online game communities are inhabited by millions of players daily with relevant learning opportunities and dynamics. However, little efforts have been done for exploring their potential. Objectives: The goal of this study is to explore if and how social learning processes are occurring in online game communities. Methods: n = 480 adult players completed a questionnaire including demographics, game community habits, and the game community of inquiry scale. Results were analysed by referring to social learning theory's processes and factors. Results and Conclusions: Online game communities provide relevant instances of social learning, with an emphasis on soft skills and application to off‐game contexts. Moreover, the more a community is inclusive and supporting, the more individuals learn and benefit from it from a cognitive perspective. Major takeaways: This study provides a wide overview of the processes through which players observe, filter, and reproduce behaviours from their game communities of reference. Moreover, findings point at which malleable factors should be considered for facilitate this social learning dynamic, which are active participation, community receptiveness, and being aware of the learning process itself. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Online gaming presents both premises and concerns in terms of social dynamics.There is preliminary evidence that gaming related outlets may host meaningful interactions.Social learning on online game communities is still poorly analysed. What this paper adds: Gaming virtual outlets are key settings for developing social learning instances beyond play.Malleable factors to endorse for improving social learning via online gaming are active participation, community receptiveness, and learning awareness. Implications for practice and/or policy: More attention must be given to game communities' moderation, related members' engagement, and inclusion.Additional efforts should address how players transfer knowledge from game communities to everyday life contexts and vice versa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]