Have a suggestion for a question to ask? Ask me via email!
Q: What’s your favorite way to relax?
A: I really enjoy reading all kinds of books or playing tennis…but, relaxing by the beach or even taking a nap are great too!
Q: What type of music are you into?
A: I’d like to think I have an eclectic taste in music–I listen to everything from 1940’s “jazz” to 90’s country to modern-day hip-hop! If I had to pick some favorite artists, I’d probably go with Linkin Park, The Smashing Pumpkins, David Bowie, and Elton John! Of course, when I “work,” I try to stay away from lyrical music, so I often opt for lo-fi hip-hop.
If you’d like a listen, click here to access one of my Spotify playlists.
Q: What was the best thing you ever read?
A: Such a tough question to ask someone who majored in English! I have some favorites that I love returning back to: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, The Pillars of the Earth, East of Eden, Kafka on the Shore, and the Dragonlance series.
Q: Are you on social media?
A: Currently I only have an Instagram, which is really only for me as a journal, rather than a way to communicate with friends. I did have Facebook (2004-2017) and Twitter/X (2013-2022) accounts, but decided they were no longer adding value to my life! Also, I did have a TikTok (2020-2021) account, but got rid of it as I found it very addicting!
Q: What was the best movie you ever watched?
A: Depends on the “era”! From my childhood, Labyrinth, Legend, and Real Genius are classics. While growing up, I came to love films like The Birdcage, The Net, V for Vendetta, and Stranger Than Fiction. I also love many of the Ghibli-style films, like My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Howl’s Moving Castle. As for more recent films, I love the Benoit Blanc films like Knives Out and Glass Onion.
Q: What kind of TV shows do you like?
A: To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of streaming–there’s just too much to binge watch, which can be dangerous for me! When I was a teen, I loved watching shows like Dragonball Z or Xena: Warrior Princess. I’m also a big Star Trek fan, especially shows like The Next Generation, Voyager, and Deep Space Nine.
As for classic TV, you can’t beat shows like The Twilight Zone (check out episodes like Time Enough at Last, A Stop at Willoughby, Eye of the Beholder, or The Masks), The Golden Girls, or Murder, She Wrote!
Q: Do you have a favorite quote?
A: I always think the world needs more empathy, so I’ve always enjoyed this opening from The Great Gatsby: “In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I’ve been turning over in my mind ever since. ‘Whenever you feel like criticizing any one…just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.’”
Q: I noticed you research video games…do you play any?
A: I do, when time allows! My introduction to video games began in the 80’s with Super Mario Bros/Duck Hunt! In the 90’s, I played many games like The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Super Metroid.
When I became an English teacher, I tried to incorporate games and storytelling into my curriculum and had some good success with games like Guitar Hero II (2007), Crayon Physics (2007), Bioshock (2007), World of Goo (2008), Batman: Arkham City (2011), andTomb Raider (2013). More recently, I’ve been enjoying games like Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018), The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023), and Animal Well (2024).
Q: What did you do before you became a professor here at UWG?
A: As of now, the largest time spent in a career was when I taught high school (2007 to 2017). During this time, I also started up my own wedding and family photography business, called Hampton Photoworks (2010-present). During my time in doctoral study, I also became a graduate teaching assistant and taught college classes on technology and pedagogy (2017-2022).
Before this, the first job I ever had was working for a company called Mail Boxes Etc. (which eventually became The UPS Store), where I learned how to sort mail, make copies, and pack and ship items. During this time, I also worked for five years as a summer camp counselor at a Jewish community center in South Florida.
Q: What kind of podcasts do you listen to?
A: I regularly listen to Andy Roddick’s Served!, as well as Crime Junkie, NPR’s Up First, and NYT’s Modern Love.
Q: Do you have a favorite holiday?
A: Absolutely, Halloween! Probably has something to do with the colder weather coming, plus I get an excuse to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Q: What are some of your favorite foods?
A: Can’t go wrong with a good cheese pizza or fresh pasta! Sushi is a close second. And, I’m also a real big fan of a Thai dish called “pad see ew“
Q: What about dessert?
A: There’s very rarely been a pie that I didn’t enjoy. I’ll take any of these: lemon meringue, apple, blueberry, pumpkin, cherry, key lime, peach, pecan, etc. I also really enjoy NY-style cheesecake, but it’s gotta be plain! Of course, now that I listed all that, I’m quite hungry for dessert!
Q: What phone app(s) do you use most?
A: Messages and Outlook for sure–lots of people need to reach me throughout the day and texting and email is often the easiest way! Other than that, I am a frequenter of YouTube, Amazon, and Etsy, like I’m sure most people are!
Q: What’s your favorite board game?
A: Scrabble! Although I’m not a great player, I enjoy coming up with fun word combinations! Also, kind of on the subject of word games, I also am a daily player of NYT’s Connections.
Q: Coffee or tea?
A: Both actually! Coffee I usually drink first thing in the morning and take it with cream and sugar. With tea, I enjoy a lot of different varieties, like hot tea with lemon, cold green tea (Arizona), sweet tea (Mc’D), Thai tea, Boba tea, etc. Come to think of it, I don’t think there’s much tea I wouldn’t drink!
Q: Describe your perfect day?
A: I’d have to say April 25th, because it’s not too hot or too cold. All you need is a light jacket!
Q: Do you have any strange talents or other hobbies?
A: I’d like to think I’m a pretty “normal” person when it comes to special skills! But, I suppose one “weird” thing about me is I’m pretty good at Speed Stacking (i.e., “cup stacking“), which is super popular with children and young teens. I taught an entire 8-week summer curriculum to 1st-7th graders back in 2004, so I think I got pretty good at it…not quite world record-worthy, but I was able to do the entire sequence (3-6-3, 6-6, 1-10-1) in about 10 seconds–P.S. the actual world record is 5.000 seconds!
Other than that, I’ve been into making AI art since 2022. It’s quite fun to create something that fits in with an idea that you have in your head. Below are some recent examples:
John Hampton, Ph.D. 