Videogames: Tomb Raider Anniversary

1) How does the cover communicate the genre of the game?

• The use of slanted serif font is an intertextual reference of 'Star Wars' where the genre of star wars is sci fi action, it may be a link to the genre of the game.
• Lara Croft is in a powerful stance with 2 guns in her hands. This may signify action due to the use of the guns.
• The gold glow from the background may suggest riches and treasure or reward which is typical of an adventure game.

2) How does the pose and costume of the character appeal to primarily male audiences?

• Lara Crofts outfit is very revealing and this may link to the male gaze and show how the game is being appealed to male audiences.
• Another way is the way the lighting is set. The lighting emphasises on certain female body parts making it more sexualised and more appealing to the male eye.

3) How might the cover be read as empowering for female gamers?

• There is only one cover image for the game cover and it is a solo portrait which may suggest female empowerment as there is so no male character.
• Lara Croft is also starting directly at the audience, with this, it may suggest that she is brave and not the traditionally 'weak' female character.

Gameplay analysis

1) What does the gameplay for Tomb Raider Anniversary involve?

• The gameplay is a third person control where the player controls every movement the character does.
• The game also includes a lot of realistic sounds but not as realistic graphics in certain areas such as the lack of injuries to the character after everything she does.

2) Write an analysis of the media language choices in the construction of the game: e.g. genre, narrative, mise-en-scene, camera shots etc.

• Throughout the game, the lighting on Lara Croft is highlighted whereas the surroundings are dimmed out and are not focused upon until Lara gets there.

3) Analyse the clips for audience pleasures, applying audience theory and considering media effects.

• Blumler and Katz - Diversion, Personal Identity and Personal Relationships
• Erotic pleasures (grunting sounds)

Representations

1) Note the statistics in the opening paragraph.

• Covering  more than 1100 magazine covers
• Selling over 58 mil games worldwide

2) How does the article describe the cultural change in society and the media since the early 00s?

• The article is about the change of female equality over time and has a link to the #MeToo movements about female empowerment and unity. This links the the media and its coverage of the #MeToo.

3) How was the original 1996 Lara Croft received by audiences and critics?

•  Lara Croft was seen as strong and smart and a role model figure.
• Critics said she was sexually ambiguous.

4) What did the 2013 re-launch do differently – and how successful was it?

• Her short shorts changed into camo trousers which took about the sexualisation of the character.

5) How is ‘woke Lara’ defined in the conclusion of the feature?

• As a very determined and courageous character
• She is also a feminist icon to many people
  

Now read this feature – Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft: feminist or femme fatale?

1) Why is Lara Croft considered a “polarising figure among gamers”?

• Some believe that she is not empowering but acts as a sex symbol

2) How did the limitations of game construction in the 1990s help to establish the way female characters were animated?

• What made the difference between male and female were the accentuation of the female body features.

3) Why were Lara Croft’s physical attributes emphasised in the original games?

• Since the company believed that the majority of the game audience were males, by emphasising on these physical attributes, it would appeal to them more.

4) How does Anita Sarkeesian describe Lara Croft?

• She describes Lara as a ''hypersexualised character that promotes the deep objectification of women''

5) Why has Lara Croft’s appearance and characterisation changed over time?

• In order to fit to the modern societal values and ideologies.

Industries

1) Why is Lara Croft such an iconic figure in the gaming industry?

• As a female character, there is already littel going for her. She ahs a female protagonist is one of the first female characters to have a whole movie and game frachise based off her making her so iconic in the gaming idustry.

2) What products and spin-offs have featured Lara Croft or the Tomb Raider brand?

• Movie franchises
• Magazine cover

3) Why might Lara Croft be considered a postmodern icon?

• Because she is able to do what 'real people' are able to do even though she herself is just a pixelated character from a game. This makes her a postmodern character.

4) Why is Tomb Raider Anniversary a 'case study in conglomerate ownership'?

• The current owner of Tomb Raider is Square Enix which is a huge conglomarate.