About cvolk

Website: or email
Biography: I am a second year Ph. D. student in the Learning Sciences program at Indiana University. She is working with Dr. Sasha Barab. My research interests include issues of identity (self, gamer, student, etc.), diversity, guild dynamics, friendships, and communities, learning of virtual skills and abilities, virtual economics, and emergent game play. She plays games such as Darkfall, Shadowbane, Age of Conan, Warhammer: Online, and World of Warcraft, where I was a guild leader and collector of rare pets. I enjoy activities such as end-game raiding, player versus player combat, and fishing. You can find me in Quest Atlantis under Ardente =)

Posts by cvolk:

QA Vendors

on Aug 6, 2009 in Design, Research

When we unveiled the new vendor economy system, we had no idea that the next month would be so exciting. I was able to follow the trail of ten students over the course of the implementation. This post is our story, a kind of telling of what happened on both hands and how we learned from it.

The vendors were created for a few reasons. The main reason is that many of the students have been looking for ways to individualize their avatars. Children love to be different. They do not wear similar clothing. If they do, it is usually not the decision of the student but the governing population of the school district. We are giving the choice to be different inside of the game. This is huge to them. It is offering them the choice.

Many people associate how they feel about themselves by the types of clothing that they wear. By allowing them to create an image for themselves, we are allowing Questers to become even more immersed in the QA experience. In QA, we are allowing a safe environment to children to explore this idea of identity.
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Tags: economy, emergent gaming, vendors