Essays
These are full-blown essays, papers, and articles.
Presentations
Slideshows and presentation materials from conferences.
Interviews and Panels
Reprints of non-game-specific interviews, and transcripts of panels and roundtables.
Snippets
Excerpts from blog, newsgroup, and forum posts.
Laws
The "Laws of Online World Design" in various forms.
Timeline
A timeline of developments in online worlds.
A Theory of Fun for Game Design
My book on why games matter and what fun is.
Insubstantial Pageants
A book I started and never finished outlining the basics of online world design.
Links
Links to resources on online world design.
All contents of this site are
© Copyright 1998-2010
Raphael Koster.
All rights reserved.
The views expressed here are my own, and not necessarily endorsed by any former or current employer.
Why, then, is she called a “tomb raider”? The title is a deliberate narrative irony. In the original 1996 canon, Lara did take artifacts for her manor’s trophy room. But as the character evolved—especially following the 2013 reboot—the writers reframed her actions. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018), Lara inadvertently triggers the Mayan apocalypse by removing a single dagger. She spends the entire game repairing the damage, performing rituals to appease the god Kukulkan, and finally sacrificing the very power she sought. By the climax, she stands before the Silver Box of Ix Chel and chooses to . She learns that being a “raider” is a youthful flaw; being a Gatekeeper is maturity. Her father’s old research, once an obsession, becomes a warning: some doors exist to stay shut.
Whether guarding the Nephilim in Paris, the Eitr in Helheim, or the Deathless in Siberia, Lara Croft’s highest calling was never to find every secret—but to ensure that some secrets are never found again. That is the weight of the Gate Keeper. And it is the heaviest crown the Tomb Raider has ever worn. lara croft the gate keeper
If the next chapter of Lara’s story is truly titled Lara Croft: The Gatekeeper , what does that mean for the world’s most famous explorer? Let’s break down why this concept is the ultimate evolution for Lara. 1. From Raider to Protector Why, then, is she called a “tomb raider”
