Levi Buchanan believes a great story is at the heart of a believable world. When Buchanan presented Bite-Sized Narratives: Conveying Impactful Narrative with Emotional Hooks at Casual Connect in San Francisco, he advised, “Find the core of your story down to the bone, then deliver on that.”
Levi Buchanan is the Director of Sales for Chillingo. Levi first became involved in the game industry as a staff writer for Nintendo. He says, “I’ve been a lifetime fan of games, so this was a great start to pursuing a lifelong dream.”
A Storyteller at Heart
Levi has completed one young adult novel and is at work on his second, so it is not surprising to discover that he is fascinated with the story-telling aspect of games. He maintains that even in their fourth decade, games are one of the most exiting mediums for telling stories. He says, “World building in a game offers so many tools you don’t get in books, movies or television. And I feel this industry still has so many places to go in terms of how to tell narratives, explore themes not traditionally seen in games, and create characters that are reflections of the ever-changing human condition.” So, for him, working in the industry is just fun!
Digital and Analog
When he is not involved with his work, Levi spends his time bicycling around the city, hanging out with friends, traveling and, of course, playing games. Mobile games are his most frequent type of gaming, but he also finds PC and console gaming exciting ways to tell stories. And certainly this devotee of storytelling spends considerable time writing.
Levi also enjoys a number of music genres, including NewWave, Britpop, and early electronica such as Kraftwerk, all part of growing up in the Reagan Era. Even while listening to new music, he can see the connection to the music that was the soundtrack to his growing up years.
And if Levi were not involved in the game industry? He would definitely be participating in some other hyper-creative field.
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