Rhianna Pratchett, writer of Tomb Raider and Rise of the Tomb Raider.
Categories

Tomb Raider’s writer shows the rise of storytelling’s importance in gaming

  • Posted byby Dean Takahashi
  • Updated
  • 3 min

LAS VEGAS — In 33 years of playing video games, writer Rhianna Pratchett has seen the value of story go through its own creative arc.

Back in the day, Pratchett noted, game guru John Carmack noted that story in games was as necessary as story in porn movies. Now, games like Rise of the Tomb Raider, which she co-wrote, are getting awards for writing accomplishments from the Writers Guild. (See our in-depth interview with Pratchett).

Unlock premium content and VIP community perks with GB M A X! Join now to enjoy our free and premium perks. 

Join now →

Sign in to your account.

Written by

Dean Takahashi

Dean Takahashi is editorial director for GamesBeat. He has been a tech journalist since 1988, and he has covered games as a beat since 1996. He was lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat from 2008 to April 2025. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, the Red Herring, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Dallas Times-Herald. He is the author of two books, "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked." He organizes the annual GamesBeat Next, GamesBeat Summit and GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conferences and is a frequent speaker at gaming and tech events. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.