VOLLMER
Dr. Ben Vollmer’s Creative, research, & teaching portfolio
I am a creator, researcher, and instructor. I earned my PhD from the University of Florida, where I studied media effects, user-experience, human-computer interaction (HCI), community, and more. I am published in highly acclaimed journals such as Computers in Human Behavior and have been a featured writer and creator across the internet. I have helped raise more than $20,000 for charities like The Trevor Project, Rainbow Railroad, and Able Gamers.
While earning my PhD, I became an award-winning instructor teaching classes such as Writing for Electronic Media, Fiction/Non-Fiction/Interactive Screenwriting, Mobile Tech and App Design, and more. My work involves a lot of overlap between media studies and HCI. I am particularly interested in the design elements of emerging media systems such as AI, social media platforms, brands, games, and augmented reality/virtual reality.
I am an instructor who values community and inclusivity in and out of the classroom. Most importantly, my work aims to get to the bottom of the intersection between digital design and engagement - as in, what systems help people communicate and build relationships with one another?
Please visit my contact page if you are interested in working with me, I very much value collaborative work and learning from other people!
Creative Work
My creative work spans across several mediums, including (but not limited to) game design, animation, interactive script writing for film and games, and advertising copy.
My work has been featured across the internet in places like IGN and Epilogue Gaming. I am also a Twitch Partner, a title given to an extremely small amount of content creators (around 1%). Not only do I create, I also study and critique different media.
My work has been read and viewed by millions of people, and I maintain a stable readership on EpilogueGaming.com as well as Patreon.com/EpilogueGaming, where I’ve helped foster a community of thousands of people. Here, I write reflective essays on popular culture and community.
I am particularly interested in ways that games and media can help people engage and find a sense of community. My work is often tailored in such a way to encourage those kinds of connections, and I’m fascinating by the way different media impacts people and their life goals.
Please click below for a sample of my work, which is always being updated with recent examples of my own work, and work from my students!
TEACHING ACCOLADES
I am an award-winning instructor at the University of Florida, one of the top public universities in the country. In my time at UF, I have taught a wide variety of courses, including Writing for Electronic Media, Mobile Technology and Application Design, Screenwriting for Fiction/Nonfiction, Media Management & Strategy, and Digital Game Studies.
As a graduate student, I won the Calvin A. VanderWerf Award—given to the top evaluated graduate student teacher across the entire University of Florida in 2025. I have helped students create and display a variety of work, including digital applications and short films that have been featured internationally.
Please click the link below to learn more about my teaching!
Interests & Contact
I have a deep love and passion for conversation - particularly as it pertains to popular culture and the “zeitgeist”. I think our connection with media is often the first step to forming meaningful bonds and relationships, which is one of the reasons I’m so passionate about creating and studying it.
I’m also a big believer in having a sense of community. My Grandfather used to meet his friends in Grand Haven, Michigan at a “local” McDonalds. They’d share conversation over breakfast and coffee. I later came to learn in my graduate studies of a concept called third places - defined by Ray Oldenburg as a “home away from home.” I became fascinated with the idea, so much so that it’s often the through line in my research.
I’m lucky to have several “third places.” I have communities I value at the movies, at sporting events, online, and more. It may sound tacky, but I fundamentally believe that these spaces are of utmost importance - we need each other and our communities to thrive as a society.
I always value people reaching out and asking about my research and work, but even if you come across my name and just want to chat about anything, feel free to reach out. I’d love to talk!
CREATIVE EMAIL: bengerman@mac.com
TEACHING EMAIL: bvollmer@ufl.edu