Tomb Raider Anniversary

Language and Audience

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

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

The Indianan Jones tint on the cover gives the idea of it being an adventure/action game.

The guns in Lara's hands show that there is an action shooting mechanic.

The outfit, while not great for exploring is still close to showing off an adventurer.

The ancient ruin in the background also indicates this.

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

The pose of Lara shows both her breasts and her backside to the audience. This plays into Mulvey's Male gaze and therefore shows that the makers have purposely angled her in this way. The position of the text also begins from her breasts and ends where her but is.


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

Lara is shown to be on her own that she does not need the man to be there to help her she is strong enough to advertise her game on her own.
The fact that Lara is giving direct mode of address shows that she is not afraid.

Gameplay analysis

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

It includes action gunfights, platforming, puzzles, narrative, mystery, mythological features.

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.

CG Intro cutscene
Exploration in text/ setting told in text/non-diegetic sound.
Ball chasing protagonist Indianan Jones 
Ancient Ruins/ Puzzles

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

Female attitude would be different if the character was a male
Cross-gender identification 
Muscles?
Resourceful character, working out puzzles

Representations

Read this NME feature on the evolution of the character of Lara Croft. Answer the following questions:

1) Note the statistics in the opening paragraph.

1,100 magazine covers
58 million videogame units
Tomb Raider movie

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

The conversation around women equality has changed entirely. With the recent MeToo movement, women have finally been given the chance to stand out and voice out their opinions and matters to the public.

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



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

The new Lara Croft games ditched the revealing clothes and went for a more realistic look for an adventurer, which allowed for a more realistic representation of a woman. This featured dirt, scars, the complexion of the skin and was overall given more realistic body shape. the game became the most selling entry into the franchise which led the path to two sequential sequels being produced which also led to a movie tie in.

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

Following the commercial success of Rey in Star Wars and Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman, promotion around the upcoming film has focussed relentlessly on the lessons we stand to learn from Lara.
Now read this feature – Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft: feminist or femme fatale? 

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

This is due to her being seen as someone who is being sold by the developers to the gamers who enjoy playing as the woman as well as seeing her for visual pleasure. Yet she is also seen as a character who defeats the biggest obstacles without the need of a man and is able to protect herself.

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

Due to the difficulties and restrictions technology had at the time, the polygon count was all the developers could focus on when making Lara and having to differentiate her from a man her hips, breasts and but had to be emphasized to make her look like a woman.

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

This was due to wanting to market Lara with her attributes it seems as she heavily featured on Lucozade bottles and many more companies, this then attributes to the male gaze. The advertising forced Lara's physical abilities to be more dramatized in reality.

4) How does Anita Sarkeesian describe Lara Croft?

Sarkeesian said Lara Croft was simply a stereotype for the category of games typically associated with male players. Even the camera angle in the game focuses on her rear end, she said, putting it at the centre of attention.

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

Lara's loom changed over the years for two reasons, one that the technology was advanced enough to allow for a woman's features to be shown more easily. Reason 2 may be that the movement of gender representation has changed so much overtime that people would not accept the view of Lara being over sexualized.


Industries

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

She has been around for two decades and has been on every platform available since the PlayStation meaning all types of gamers have been able to play her games, as well as multiple movies being made about her. 

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

Lara Croft has appeared in Lara Croft Go a mobile game series based on Square Enix's games, multiple movies based on the games, comics, novels, cartoons, magazines, and most recently Final Fantasy XV a Square Enix game.

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

This is due to the view of Lara being so mixed over the public and how she has changed so much over time. Due to her now being someone who is accepted in the eyes of feminine women who used to believe she was a sex object.

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

This is due to the franchise being owned by Square Enix who are the conglomerate to the producers of eidios entertainment and crystal dynamics which means that the game is a huge influence on the company, with the franchise hitting the big screen as well as books Lara Croft is a huge square Enix icon.