Rate My Professor Jimmy Ivory

James D. Ivory, known professionally as Jimmy Ivory, is Professor of Technical and Scientific Communication in the Department of English at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). He holds a Ph.D. in Mass Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Ivory joined Virginia Tech in 2005 as a faculty member in the School of Communication and transitioned to the Department of English in 2023, bringing his expertise in media effects and digital communication to professional and technical writing. As Director of the VT G.A.M.E.R. Lab, part of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences Digital Media Research Facility, he oversees experimental research on interactive media. His career at Virginia Tech spans two decades, during which he has advanced interdisciplinary studies at the intersection of communication, technology, and human behavior.

Ivory's research focuses on the social and psychological dimensions of new media and communication technologies, particularly the content and effects of video games, virtual environments, and simulations. He examines how technological features in entertainment media influence user experiences, perceptions, and societal discussions. Key publications include 'The effects of technological advancement and violent content in video games on players' feelings of presence, involvement, physiological arousal, and aggression' (Journal of Communication, 2007, with S. Kalyanaraman), 'The virtual census: Representations of gender, race, and age in video games' (New Media & Society, 2009, with D. Williams, N. Martins, and M. Consalvo), 'Good clean fun? A content analysis of profanity in video games' (CyberPsychology & Behavior, 2009), 'Video games as a multifaceted medium: A review of quantitative social science research on video games' (Review of Communication Research, 2013), and the book Virtual Lives (2012). Ivory's scholarship has contributed to academic discourse on media effects, including critiques of purported links between video games and violence, and he has provided expert commentary featured in outlets such as USA Today and The Washington Post.