LCG Flashcards
Introduction
Lara Croft first appeared in 1966 Eidos Playstation game Tomb Raider and was the first computer game to feature a female character as the protagonist rather than a supporting role or a secondary character
The narrative of Tomb Raider was influenced by Indiana Jones and featured the daughter of a Lord called Lara Croft on various missions through setting such as jungles, tombs and jungles. The genre is action-adventure and involves many conventions of this genre such as fighting villains using weaponry
What does she do in the game
Lara Craft Go explores the ruins of an ancient civilization in the Amazon Jungle while fighting menacing enemies, overcoming dangerous obstacles and traps, and ultimately, uncover the myth of the Queen of Venom
The concept of action-adventure exploring and uncovering relics from ancient civilisations is not new and there is some intertextuality here with the Indiana Jones movie, OG tomb raider and films
Who is Lara Croft
Athletic with brown eyes and hair and tied back hair in a plait
All three narratives feature her transition from a vulnerable girl to an independent, fierce adventurer
What is the narrative (media language)
Lara is an adventurer on mission to unearth ancient secret. Puzzles to solve to progess thriugh each level and they are based on timings, certain moves and attacks.
Use of iconogrpahy
Follows the template laid down in previous Lara games and movies. The landscape is rainforest, the enemies are classically sinister rainforest creatures, buildings are ancient. Lara wears her classic attire and there is instant anchorage in that imagery for loyal Tomb Raider fans
Characters
Lara as heroine. Enemies are snakes, spiders and salamanders. There is a Boss character at the end of the game (the Queen of Venom).
Setting
In rainforest - although not specific where. This chimes with previous Tomb Raider outings and some of the established iconography in the Indiana Jones franchise. These mysterious settings are a regular trope - ‘a current theme’
Media Representation: Is Lara Croft a stereotypically female role in gaming?
Yes (traditional stereotype):Object of sexual desire. Her body features were particularly exaggerated in early versions of games.Scantily-clad designed for male audience. Would a male character be designed like this? Is Lara Croft is designed to be attractive to the male audience as she basically acquires all the features that some men would describe as perfect.
No- She is an action hero –traditionally a male stereotype in gaming.*She is empowered female heroine –rare in gaming industry at the time. “The heroine, Lara Croft, is an intelligent, butt-kicking, gun-wielding, sexpot, ready to take on whatever comes her way.” Katherine Walker, Portrayal of Women in Media (Video Games)
Media Audiences: How was the game advertised and marketed?
In more recent years - 2015 Serious interviews on social media.Screenshots on App store and Google Play etc.Competitions on the Tube to stress mobile nature of gameLess ‘sexualised’ as they game is no longer designed like that
The early 2000s Sexualised.Aimed at ‘teen’ or ‘laddish’ audience.
Media Industries: PEGI Game Ratings
PEGI stands for Pan European Game Informationand is a European video game rating system established to help European consumers make informed decisions when buying video games or apps through the use of age recommendations and content descriptors. It came into use in April 2003 and is now used in over 30 countries. It is designed to advise consumers on the suitability of the content in a game.
Companies and franchises
Co,bination of franchises Lara Croft Tomb Raider and the Hitman Go mobile game
Tomb raider is a media franchise that originated with an action-adventure video game series created by British gaming company Core Design. Formerly owned by Eidos interactive. It is now controlled by Square Enix after their acquisition of Eidos in 2009
Square Enix developed Hitman Go in 2014 based on the successful Hitman game franchise
