JVWR Special Edition Call for Papers: Virtual Worlds for Kids

CALL FOR PAPERS

Journal of Virtual Worlds Research (http://jvwresearch.org/)

Special issue, Vol. 3 (3), 2010: Virtual Worlds for Kids

Abstract Deadline: 20 October 2009

Guest Editors:
Sun Sun Lim, National University of Singapore, sunlim@nus.edu.sg
Lynn Schofield Clark, University of Denver, Lynn.Clark@du.edu

While virtual worlds for young adults have received considerable research attention, virtual worlds for young children – from preschoolers to preteens – have not been studied as extensively. Yet statistics indicate that children worldwide are using the Internet at younger and younger ages, and are exploring a wide range of online environments including virtual worlds such as Neopets, Habbo Hotel, Club Penguin, Webkinz, BarbieGirls.com, MoshiMonsters etc.  Participation in such virtual worlds have been found to aid in the development of children’s social, linguistic and technological skills, and to offer them enriching learning experiences, outlets for creative expression and opportunities for identity exploration. At the same time however, concerns about the potentially adverse impact of such virtual worlds prevail, be it moral panics about sexual grooming, fears of online addiction or more mundane worries about exposure to online advertising. While research on children’s participation in virtual worlds is growing, clearly more light needs to be shed on the benefits and harms of children’s participation in these engaging and increasingly popular multimedia environments.

This special issue of the Journal of Virtual Worlds Research will explore children’s participation in online virtual worlds , and focus specifically on the preschool to preteen group, from about 3 to 14 years of age. We welcome participation from a broad range of academic researchers and practitioners using a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches from such fields as communications, psychology, education, computer science, sociology, anthropology and marketing. Topics of interest are (but not limited to):
•    typologies of children’s virtual worlds
•    ethnographies of children’s use of virtual worlds
•    avatar building, identity exploration and peer dynamics
•    educational uses of children’s virtual worlds
•    lifestage analyses comparing experiences of children of different ages
•    supervisory strategies of parents, guardians, teachers
•    joint online activities of siblings and other family members
•    family online activities in virtual worlds
•    policy and public education responses
•    industry self-regulation measures
•    advertising and marketing to children in virtual worlds
•    research methods and ethical issues

Please submit a 500 word abstract to the guest editors as an e-mail attachment no later than 20 October, 2009. The five best abstracts will also be submitted as a panel for consideration  by the Children, Adolescents and the Media interest group of the International Communication Association 2010 conference (held from 22 – 26 June 2010 in Singapore). Please include full contact information and a biographical note (up to 75 words) on each of the authors and indicate whether you wish to be considered for the ICA panel submission.  Authors of accepted abstracts will be notified by 10 November, 2009 and will then be invited to submit a full paper to the guest editors. Manuscripts should be no more than 8,000 words, including notes and references, conform to APA style, and submitted by 31 March , 2010.  All papers will be subject to anonymous peer review following submission.

We also welcome submissions in the form of think pieces and interactive online exhibits with accompanying detailed descriptions, and other forms of scholarship.

Important dates
20 October 2009: Deadline for abstract submission
10 November 2009: Announcement of results
31 March 2010: Submission of full papers
22-26 June 2010: ICA conference in Singapore
September 2010: Publication of special issue