Videogames: Tomb Raider Anniversary

Videogames: Tomb Raider Anniversary

Our first videogames CSP is Tomb Raider: Anniversary (2007).

This is an in-depth CSP so will require significant work and research for an extensive blog case study.

The basics

• Released in 2007 on multiple consoles, PC and Mac. 
• The Wii version had active features; on Xbox it was the first game to be offered on Xbox Live Marketplace.
• 11th version of the Tomb Raider franchise.
• Marked 10th anniversary of original 1996 Tomb Raider game.
• Sold 1.3m copies – good but nowhere near original (7m+ copies).
• Game was based on original (offering nostalgia) but with updated graphics and gameplay – faster and more agile; more realistic visuals.
• Genre: Action adventure
• Protagonist/avatar (character player controls): Lara Croft
• Quest narrative driven by enigma and action codes and culminating in a final confrontation with antagonist. Lara Croft is dispatched to New Mexico to recover part of the Scion of Atlantis
• Gameplay involves: Exploration; Overcoming physical obstacles; Puzzles; Fighting; Gunplay.

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 gun that is shown on the film poster suggests that there us gonna be a lot of action scenes. This reflects the scenes that are portrayed in an Action/Adventure. Also the ancient relic behind the character may suggest the game contains some mystery. 

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

The characters stance predominately appeals to a male audience due to 'lara croft' expressing both sides of her body. The phallic symbol of the two abnormally large pistols may appeal to males that have a less female interactions.
3) How might the cover be read as empowering for female gamers?

The main character is played as a female named 'lara croft' who demonstrates incredible skills which may empower females in general to be more fearless. The looks of the character may attract female character not just males therefore, would be reinforcing gender equality. 

Gameplay analysis

Watch the following gameplay clips again:

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

The gameplay involves the character to complete a set of puzzles to progress further into the game. Lara croft has to move obstacles to create different openings to the final destination. Also whilst playing, you can collect these little token which, either tell he gamer what the place is like or the game in general. The character performs different arts of free running and martial arts to reach the end goal.

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 game is packed with action involving shooting animals such as dinosaurs. The game creates a sense of realism through the water flowing through the waterfall and the broken walls that Lara croft has to climb on. The character is wearing shorts which doesn't really represent a female on a dangerous mission, instead seems the female body is objectified for male gamers, The camera shows Lara crofts back which is deliberately done to appeal to a male audience. However, the camera follows the character's movements which makes the gamer feel as if they are in the game while playing. 

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

The game play creates a sense of vicarious pleasure for the gamer due to the audience feeling attached the character they are playing as. Also may create diversion as the game allows the gamer to escape from reality due to not everything being realistic in the game. The audience may receive surveillance from the tokens that are picked up during the mission. 

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.
She’s the most successful human videogame heroine of all time, gracing more than 1,100 magazine covers, and selling over 58 million
videogame units worldwide.

2) How does the article describe the cultural change in society and the media since the early 00s?
conversation around women’s equality has changed entirely. FHM, a lads’ mag which once had lycra underwear-clad women compete in a ‘Lara Croft Challenge’, is no longer in circulation. Women are fronting the most popular films at the box office, and #MeToo has finally given women the space to call out systematic sexism and harassment. 

3) How was the original 1996 Lara Croft received by audiences and critics?
Some feminists criticised the depiction of such a physically and mentally idealised woman, and Germaine Greer called her a “distorted, sexually ambiguous, male fantasy.”

4) What did the 2013 re-launch do differently – and how successful was it?
The 2013 re-launch game gave Lara a makeover. Hot pants and Barbie physiques were out; cargo trousers and abs were in. Scars, dirt and blood covered her skin, and the gameplay focused more on Croft’s face to reveal a deep and complex emotional background. Finally, Lara actually looked like someone who spent her time raiding caves for ancient artefacts.

5) How is ‘woke Lara’ defined in the conclusion of the feature?
focussed relentlessly on the lessons we stand to learn from Lara: her determination, courage and physical ability. Woke Lara is officially ready to raid the box office.


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 was noticed more for her voluptuous physique and revealing attire - a tank top and short shorts. And she remains a polarising figure among gamers, a paradox regarded as either a digital pin-up girl or a feminist role model, or sometimes both.

2) How did the limitations of game construction in the 1990s help to establish the way female characters were animated?
Her sexualised appearance was a drawback from the early days of video game development when women were hard to distinguish from men on 32-bit consoles, Marie said. Flowing hair was difficult to design - Lara Croft wears her hair in a single braid - so emphasising a woman's hips, legs and breasts became an easier way to feminise her.

3) Why were Lara Croft’s physical attributes emphasised in the original games?
Lara Croft's physical attributes were originally played up to market the franchise.

4) How does Anita Sarkeesian describe Lara Croft?

"She is a hyper-sexualised character that promotes a deep objectification of women."

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.

"With Lara Croft, you see her entire body running around in her hot pants," she said. "That encourages players to look at her as a sex object."

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

Lara Croft's appearance gradually changed as more women were drawn to video games. (Research shows that nearly half of all players now are women). In 2013, Crystal Dynamics rebooted the franchise and gave her a more natural look, including trousers.

"The goal was to make her a relatable character, one that was believable," Marie said.

Industries

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

Lara croft in the 2013 appeals to both male gamers and female gamers due to her figure still being objectified and her amazing skills empowers young female gamers. It has been a franchise since 1996 which has really gained a large viewing population through the very known character and the genre itself. 

2) What products and spin-offs have featured Lara Croft or the Tomb Raider brand?
There has been an animated show, two featured films and 11 games, memorabilia etc 

3) Why might Lara Croft be considered a postmodern icon?
Lara croft has been created through different popular genres and products in one to create a brand new narrative and character. It also has a lot of intertexuality between the sequels of Indiana Jones. 

4) Why is Tomb Raider Anniversary a 'case study in conglomerate ownership'?
Tomb raider is a massive franchise and also an inspiration for other video games that has pushed them in to the entertainment mainstream.