Videogames: Tomb Raider Anniversary

Tomb Raider Anniversary: blog tasks

Language and Audience

Analyse the game cover for Tomb Raider Anniversary (above).

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

• The cover communicates genre through the use of slanted serif font which could be argued as an intertextual reference of 'Star Wars'. Star Wars is an action/sci-fi franchise and Tom Braider could be offering a pastiche towards it.
• The background image looks like that of an ancient ruin symbol that is almost Indiana Jones-esque - which is the male parallel of the Lara Croft series.
• The protagonist Lara is in a power stance and is also holding a gun with a very bold expression - these are typical characteristics/tropes of an action hero and the colour scheme of gold and blacks and yellow enhance this.
• the colour scheme has clear connotations of riches and success which is again linked back to the genre of adventure.

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

• The costume in which Croft is wearing is quite revealing and impractical for the work she is assigned to do. She has very short shorts and a very tight shirt that accentuates all her curves.
• These could attract male audiences as the female assets are on full display. Her pose further emphasises the sex appeal of this character; this is through her assets being directly above and below the title which forces audiences to stare directly at it.

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

• The cover may be read as empowering as Lara Croft is staring at the audience and this direct address clearly highlights Lara's confidence and power.
• The fact that she is the solo cover star also hints to empowerment as usually women are either in the background or accompanied by 2-3 other characters but the fact she is on her own implies that she is strong and determined.
• She is also standing in an arguably famous James Bond pose, this could signify how she can fit into such a masculine role like James Bond but still remain graceful and feminine 

Gameplay analysis

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

• The gameplay involves the 1st person control of Lara Croft aswell as liberty when it comes to choosing weapons and ammo etc..
• The realistic SFX and somewhat realistic surroundings add to the smooth gameplay experience.

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.

• The digital realism and liberty of control allows the player to have autonomy of the game and to solve the puzzles, run , jump and earn awards. This helps the genre of adventure and action aswell as the own creation of narrative.
• The mise-en-scene depends on the mission Lara Croft is set on completing and in terms of the video clips, the lighting accentuates Lara the most and the background is dimmed. 

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

• Blumler and Katz: Diversion, personal identity and relationships
• The gratification of control and freedom. This is through the freedom of weapon choice and perspective control. 
• The erotic pleasure of constantly watching a woman run, jump and fight.

Representations

1) Note the statistics in the opening paragraph.

• covering  more than 1,100 magazine covers'
• selling over 58 million game units worldwide'

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

• The article talks about the extreme dynamic of female equality.
• The article links in the #MeToo movement with Lara Croft aswell: "#MeToo has finally given women the space to call out systematic sexism and harassment. Lara Croft has caught up too. Her hot pants have been ditched for cargo trousers, and the focus is on her attitude, intelligence and athleticism, rather than her improbable polygon body."

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

•  She was said to be strong, smart and a role model.
• Critics also had the idea of her being sexually ambiguous.

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

•  She wore cargo trousers and had physical injuries aswell as an athletic figure. This was a contrast to the short shorts and revealing questions.

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

• "determined, courageous and physically able"
• Lara Croft is a feminist icon.

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

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

• she is debated on whether she's an empowering female or just a sex symbol,  

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

• The accentuation of the female assets is what differentiated the female and male characters in games. 

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

• They were emphasised because it what thought that the majority of game audiences were male so to create a heavily physically attributed protagonist, it would hope to attract more players 

4) How does Anita Sarkeesian describe Lara Croft?

• ''hypersexualised character that promotes the deep objectification of women''

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

•  Lara Croft has changed over the years to fit the values and ideologies of society in a contemporary age. She has 'ditched' the revealing clothing to make her charter seem more realistic and less seen as a sex symbol.

Industries

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

• Lara Croft is one of the early females in the gaming world who has a whole game and movie franchise dedicated to her. Her powerful character and skills reflect positively on females 

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

• A movie franchise
• Advertising campaigns- Lucozade 
• The face Magazine.

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

• Though Lara Croft is not a real human she has been able to secure advertising deals and be treated like a real celebrity. This ties in with Baudrillard's theory of Simulacra (Postmodern theory) whereby media products are a direct imitation of a person or thing. Lar Croft is an example of this and thus can be considered as a signifier for later postmodern icons.

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

• The ownership of Tomb Raider anniversary started with 'Core Design' which is a UK company who was bought by Eidos Interactive then by Square Enix.