Hi! I'm Leigh Alexander, a multidisciplinary writer and narrative designer for games, working at the junction of storytelling and tech. That means I don't just tell stories -- I also design the way people encounter and experience them.
I've been an internet person since early adolescence, and my work focuses on identity, embodiment and play-pretend in virtual space: alternate selves, the spectacle of intimate life in digital society, the subtle horrors of remote working culture, data bias, and the hallucinatory quality of hyperstitial realities.
I love genre stories and remixes in closed spaces with clear rules (mystery! thriller! horror! paranormal! romance!), and I'm especially passionate about unscripted television in an age when all of us are uncompensated broadcasters, and anyone can become a Main Character whether they want to or not. I care a lot about who gets to tell these stories, too, from diversity of perspective to accessibility of tools. I think the game industry needs a wider range of cultural influences from outside its traditional hegemony (I am gay and also on the autism-adhd spectrum, like many of the creators who have influenced me).
When I'm not making video games, I'm imagining new designs for social reality games, and dreaming up horror shorts about our shitty future and the long doomscroll of the modern condition. I’m also a former media critic (you might have seen me in The Antisocial Network doc) and voice presenter. Just recently I’ve worked as editor on an unannounced major simulation franchise, adapted a popular Netflix IP for a mobile puzzle game, designed a fictional AI-driven reality show for a Wiki text mystery (!), and modeled a generative reality show murder experience using Google Sheets.
I work with teams of all sizes from fulltime to consultancy, doing narrative design and providing pipeline and process support to integrate story on complex projects. I’m always looking for challenging high-level opportunities in commercial and indie games, television, advertising, generative tech and fiction. If you like my ideas, please get in touch at leighalexander1 at gmail.