I started this lunatic project in August of 2020, during the height of the Covid pandemic in Australia. Having found myself with extra time on my hands during the week, I decided to revisit the entire Tomb Raider series.

Having been somewhat inspired by Steve Warr’s wonderful retrospective series, I went back to the series, but with my philosopher hat on, of course. (It’s a small newsie cap, if you must ask.) Thinking about themes, ideas, emotions, and what it was that made Tomb Raider speak to me far more loudly than any subsequent sequel, I started working on the first draft of what ultimately, three drafts later, turned into a 10,000 word monster.

And tonight, it’s finally live for everyone to read and enjoy.

It’s a labour of love, and the first in what I hope to be a series of long-form essays ruminating on the ever-evolving artform that is videogames.

And of course, a huge thank you to my editor Andrew “Edpool” Hindle. He made this sordid mess make sense and helped me focus on my strengths as a writer.