“I’ll make them care about the story so much that nobody will ever press skip!”
With the departure of our original writer Emily and addition of writer Laura, we thought now would be a good time to kick off a new series of articles. For these we want to talk not about the game or development, but about the team making Beyond These Stars.
Since she’s just joined Balancing Monkey Games (and as she’s the one currently writing this article), let’s start with a character profile on Laura.
Name: Laura Anderson
Designation: Writer (Human)
Level: Veteran
Origin Story: Laura hails from Scotland, the home of unicorns and whisky. She spent many moons traveling the strange lands of webseries, film and television, but always wondered what else was out there. One fateful day, many years ago, she was whisked away to the world of narrative design. At first this seemed a strange place, but her skills were quickly put to good use and she discovered a great love of crafting fulfilling experiences for players. Since arriving on the shores of Aotearoa nearly five years ago Laura has further sharpened her narrative blade on games like Love & Pies and Merge Mansion. She’s ready for the next chapter in her story - and her sights are set on Beyond These Stars…
Current Quest: Picking up the narrative mantle at Balancing Monkey Games and helping to create a galaxy packed with imaginative stories and fulfilling quests.
Special Abilities: Thinking up bad puns, creating diverse and memorable characters, writing compelling dialogue.
Weaknesses: Extreme shyness in social situations, Whittaker’s milk chocolate.
Hidden Skill: Can repeatedly watch Lord of the Rings and Star Wars or read any Discworld novel without getting bored.
Nemesis: People who talk during the film in cinemas.
Inventory Items: Bottomless cups of tea, an old-school notepad and pen, a pocket full of brain teaser apps, and well-travelled maps for Hyrule and her Animal Crossing island.
Magical Companion: An “energetic” young cocker spaniel named Pippin.
Battle Cry: “I’ll make them care about the story so much that nobody will ever press skip!” {shakes fist at sky}
