Nat makes levels
Hey, I’m nat.
I’m a level designer, indie game developer and recovering journalist based in Edinburgh, Scotland. I was the sole level designer on Inkle’s 3x IGF nominated hiking epic A Highland Song in 2023, and am currently working with Bithell Games on Unannounced Tron Things. I’ve also worked on more experimental projects like Can Androids Pray with Strange Scaffold and Priscilla Snow; contributed to an essay compilation on Bloodborne, written for sites like PC Gamer, Rock Paper Shotgun and Waypoint; and even had a hand in developing games like Minecraft and Alien: Isolation in a career going back to 2014.
Throughout every weird turn my career has taken, I have never lost my love for the way game levels tell stories. Spatial design creates narrative, and I firmly believe the two are inseparable; whether that’s the drama of a gruelling climb up a Scottish peak or the nail-biting confrontation of a risky rocket launcher spawn. From my professional work to personal side projects, I seek to explore and push the boundaries of what level design can mean as a creative field.
Read more about me and my work here.
Professional Work
critical Work
a selection of written works from a five-year career in games media.
BLOOD ECHOES: A Bloodborne Anthology
Contributed a chapter on the unlikely twin cities of Edinburgh and Yharnam to Tune and Fairweather’s Bloodborne essay compilation.
That Belongs in a (Digital) Museum
Rock Paper Shotgun | A chat with the developers curating digital exhibitions in virtual space.
FRIGHT-TEEN-NINETY-NINE
Wireframe | Talking retro-3D horror with Arbitrary Metric’s Doc Burford, Jessica Harvey, and Haunted PS1 pioneer Breogan Hackett.
Forget Ash: The real star of Apex Legends’ next season is a Scottish mother with a grudge
PC Gamer | Examining how a battle royale tells deeply personal stories through the lens of a time-lost astronaut.
How ‘Splatoon 2’ Lets Us Make Connections, Not Just Matches
Waypoint | Exploring how Splatoon’s fresh vibes facilitate a community that turns online arenas into hangout spots.
How the hero shooter took over competitive FPS design
PC Gamer | Overwatch redefined the competitive shooter scene into a space defined by colourful casts of gunslinging heroes.
Remembering Source, and the beautiful tension of an engine caught between eras
PC Gamer | A celebration of Valve’s foundational game engine.
Nat Clayton, level designer 