By Ryan McGovern ’23
Today, we look more deeply into the life of Mr. Campbell, the Chairman of the Math Department here at Don Bosco Prep, and will find out what he does Outside the Classroom.
Math Department Chairman
Those who have taken classes with Mr. Campbell will know that he has a passion for gaming, often mentioning titles he has played or intends to play in his free time. He primarily uses his personal computer to play games, with some of his favorite titles including first-person shooters (FPS) such as Halo Infinity, action role-playing games (RPGs) such as Skyrim, and strategy titles such as Civilization VI and Distant Worlds 2. A more in-depth look at Distant Worlds 2 can be found on his YouTube gaming channel, Scott’s Space, where he posts videos involving strategy, targeted towards newer players looking to get into it, in addition to tips and tricks for existing players. Currently on a hiatus, he last posted a video on May 3, 2022 titled, “Terraforming and Sustainability – Episode 4 in my Game Mechanics Series for Distant Worlds 2.” However, Mr. Campbell has said that he hopes to begin posting content again in the future, with thoughts of potentially resuming his original weekly upload basis that he had held during the spring. Mr. Campbell has also mentioned that streaming might be a possibility for the future of Scott’s Space, but he plans to expand his viewer count first. Distant Worlds 2 is the primary game for his uploads as he was beta-tester prior to its general release. He has also worked on an official written guide for the game, containing a beginner’s walkthrough, strategies for the early portion and middle of the game, and over 30 detailed graphs, charts, and tables providing information about different aspects of the game. He updates the guide regularly to account for typographical errors as well as any changes to the game’s version or gameplay quality, and this guide has been downloaded by nearly 20,000 individuals.
Mr. Campbell not only offers great insight for new players into the game of Distant Worlds 2, but he also possesses many skills in the design and functionality of user interface, also referred to as the user experience or UX. Each summer, he takes up new projects developing user experience applications for various companies. This most recent summer, Mr. Campbell designed some of the user experience for the company Batch Leads’ website. This site allows real estate companies to view property data and owner/resident information which allows them to more effectively organize their services. UX design was Mr. Campbell’s speciality before he came to work here at Don Bosco Prep, his alma mater. He joined the staff here around 22 years ago, after he found out that his true love was teaching math. His summer projects are a way for him to continue in the field of user experience, without having to give up his true passion, teaching.
Outside of running his channel and working his user interface projects, Mr. Campbell also enjoys taking time for himself to participate in a variety of activities. When playing video games for pleasure, his favorite game is Civilization VI, a strategy title where the player seeks to develop a civilization into a world power. Outside of video games, he says that he greatly enjoys cooking, with empanadas being his favorite meal to prepare. He will often cook not only for his family, but also for his own enjoyment. Lastly, Mr. Campbell has a great willingness to help others, regularly participating in biking events in support of charities.
There is much more to Mr. Campbell than what is seen alone by students during a math class. He has so many sides to him that are only seen Outside the Classroom.