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From Ancient Temples to Digital Worlds: Leonardo Benitez's Journey from Archaeologist to Game Engineering Leader
What happens when a childhood obsession with Indiana Jones transforms into a career unearthing ancient mysteries and then pivots completely into building some of the world's most successful mobile games?
In this episode, I sit down with Leonardo Benitez, Head of Game Engineering at Scopely, the studio behind the phenomenon that is Monopoly Go! But before Leo was helping build games played by millions, he was decoding the astronomical secrets of ancient civilizations across the Americas.
Leo's path has been anything but conventional. His passion for archaeology led him deep into the world of astroarchaeology, studying how ancient peoples built elaborate structures to track celestial patterns and organize their societies. To bring these ancient mysteries to life, he taught himself software development, creating specialized models and visualizations that could reveal patterns invisible to the naked eye. That technical curiosity opened an unexpected door.
One interest fed another, pulling Leo from dig sites in South America into the creative world of animation and game development, starting with building Macromedia Flash games at Disney. Nearly 15 years later, he's leading engineering teams at one of mobile gaming's most successful studios.
This conversation explores the connective tissue between seemingly disparate passions, the courage it takes to follow your curiosity into entirely new fields, and how the skills we develop in one chapter of life can become unexpected superpowers in the next. Whether you're contemplating a career pivot or simply curious about how great journeys unfold, Leo's story offers a masterclass in following the steeper path.
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Produced by Lagom LLC | Hosted by Lenn
