Rhianna Pratchett: I wanted to make Lara Croft human again Of all the challenges Rhianna Pratchett has faced in her video game writing career, rebooting Lara Croft was one of […]

Of all the challenges Rhianna Pratchett has faced in her video game writing career, rebooting Lara Croft was one of the most formidable.

The Tomb Raider icon – who celebrates her 20th anniversary this year – is one of the most recognisable in gaming history.

But Pratchett’s reinvention of the character, as lead writer on both 2013’s Tomb Raider reboot and its recent sequel, seems to directly reflect the medium’s growing maturity.

The i newsletter cut through the noise Email address is invalid Email address is invalid Thank you for subscribing! Sorry, there was a problem with your subscription.

‘I wanted to make Lara Croft relatable’

The original Lara Croft was hardly the most ‘human’ of characters. Vulnerability to giant apes, spiky traps and cliff-top tumbles aside, the ’90s favourite was a no-nonsense action cliché for a no-nonsense action age.

“She was the playgirl explorer who jets around the world and has all the one-liners,” notes Pratchett.

Pratchett’s work on last year’s Rise Of The Tomb Raider won her an Outstanding Achievement in Video Game Writing from the Writers Guild Of America.

“Like James Bond without the government backing.”

In this era of recessions and global turmoil, something a little more grounded was required for the modern version.

Hence the character’s reinvention in the Tomb Raider reboot as a young, inexperienced and slightly more down-to-earth woman – forced to fight for survival rather than thrill-seek for sport.

“Her family does have money but she shunned that and put herself through university,” explains Pratchett. “She works several different jobs.

“It’s about bringing a bit of normality to a character that is fantastical – the good old ‘Buffy’ tradition.”

The marketing sexualised her – it made her ‘for the boys’

When updating the character, there was also the matter of original Lara’s status as a scantily-clad ‘lads mag’ pin-up to consider. Something which always sat slightly at odds with her positioning as an empowered female protagonist.

“That wasn’t a good reflection of what was in the games themselves,” argues Pratchett. “The marketing did the games a disservice.

“Original Lara was a great character, regardless of how she was portrayed,” she adds. “There was a lot of fun and strength there.

“[The marketing] did sexualise her a lot. It made her ‘for the boys’.

“I didn’t like that as a young female gamer at the time. It put me off a bit.”

By contrast, the new image of Lara that the developers had come up with “really struck” her when she started work on the reboot; with this less sexualised approach mirroring her creation of a more rounded character.

Storytelling is coming to the fore in gaming now

When Pratchett started out in the gaming industry as a journalist 18 years ago, story wasn’t generally considered important in games.

Pratchett notes, somewhat ironically, that she prefers to play action-driven games rather than story-driven ones in her own time (it’s a bit like work otherwise!”). But she was compelled by story-driven games and role-playing games in her own youth.

“One of the questions doing the rounds was: ‘Do games need professional writers?'” she laughs.

“It seemed odd to me that you would put something into a game that wasn’t done by a professional.”

By contrast, the last 10 or 15 years have seen writing take on increasing importance in the video games industry.

“We’ve started to see storytelling more at the forefront of the process,” notes Pratchett. “Story-driven games and character-driven games are on the rise.”

Two turning points

She notes two particular developments that have had a notable impact on storytelling in games.

One of these is the emergence of episodic adventures, told over ‘seasons’ of distinct chapters.

Recent successes include high school sci-fi mystery Life Is Strange, and the work of Telltale Games, whose hits have included a unique and emotional take on The Walking Dead.

Pratchett actually worked for Telltale on a CSI game early in her career, where she teamed-up with designer Sean Vanaman – who brought us this year’s acclaimed narrative-driven hit Firewatch.

For big-budget games, Pratchett also points to the introduction of motion-capture as a turning point.

The 2007 game Heavenly Sword, for which Pratchett was nominated for a BAFTA, saw creative director Andy Serkis (the Hollywood actor and performance capture specialist) work with a team at New Zealand effects shop Weta, renowned for their work on the Lord Of The Rings movies.

“I believe we were the first game to record facial capture and motion capture at the same time,” says Pratchett.

“[Motion capture] had a very cinematic impact on gaming, and a lot of big-budget games have used it in a very effective way.”

Discworld: from page to screen

Away from the world of games, Pratchett also writes for comic books, TV and film, likening herself to an RPG player who refuses to stick to just a single character-class.

Film in particular is increasingly taking up her time. This is largely due to her role as co-director of Narritivia, a production company which assists in adapting the work of her late father, the Discworld author Sir Terry Pratchett.

“I read Dad the first draft of the script on Father’s Day, because he could no longer read at that point. That was a lovely thing to have been able to do.”

“It was set up to work with people thinking of adapting Dad’s work, and allowing us to have some control over things,” she explains. “It was important to Dad.

“Up to that point I pretty much avoided Discworld. I enjoyed it as a reader, but I didn’t do conventions or adaptations.

“But because of Dad’s illness, I felt there needed to be another Pratchett involved.”

Pratchett is herself adapting Discworld novel The Wee Free Men for the big screen, with the film being produced by the Jim Henson Company.

“It’s such a good story, and a wonderful character. It was the only one of Dad’s books that I earmarked for myself.

“I read Dad the first draft of the script on Father’s Day, because he could no longer read at that point. That was a lovely thing to have been able to do.

“There may be other ones I’ll have a go at in the future. There were ones my Dad wanted me to adapt.”

How writing for games is different

Pratchett notes that her father was himself a fan of games, and played through the first three Tomb Raiders.

Having steered the direction of the new Lara Croft, she remains keen to continue her work in the interactive medium – especially given the unique storytelling aspects of games.

“The player is moving through a world and experiencing the story,” she explains. “So you always have to consider the player.

“You are continually considering the audience at every stage, in a way you don’t always have to when you write for TV and film.

“[Lara Croft] changes over the course of Tomb Raider and Rise. But the player can grow with Lara, and I think that’s very effective.”

Rhianna Pratchett will appear in conversation at the Yorkshire Games Festival on November 9, more info

Rise Of The Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration is out on PlayStation 4 on Tuesday, October 11.