Videogames: Lara Croft Go

Language:

1) Lara Croft's initial appearance was in the 1996 Eidos Playstation game Tomb Raider, which was the first computer game to feature a female protagonist rather than as a supporting role.

2) Tomb Raider's narrative and the creation of Lara Croft as a character was significantly influenced by the classic Indiana Jones films.

3) Lara Croft has long since moved past being just a videogame character. She has featured in blockbuster films, the original was released in 2001, starring Angelina Jolie as Lara; the character was rebooted with the release of a new Tomb Raider movie in 2018. As well as this, Lara Croft has been featured excessively upon magazine covers, to the point where she has appeared on them more times than any supermodel. There have been advertising tie-ins, merchandise, comic books and  spin-offs featuring the character. The franchise has had numerous incarnations before Lara Croft Go in 2015. 

4) Lara Croft Go was released in August 2015 for Android, iOS, Windows and Windows Phone devices. Versions for PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita and Steam were released in December 2016.

5) Lara Croft Go comprises of many action-adventure elements, therefore it's a hybrid genre. Also,  this game is a ‘turn-based puzzle’ which involves by-passing enemies and unlocking paths in a sequential manner which suits the ‘short timespan’ that people can sometimes commit to mobile gaming. It faithfully preserves element of original Tomb Raider game and brings the original adventure up to date.

6) The three-act narrative structure proceeds from an orientation stage through various complications and blockages to a simple resolution.

7) Lara is depicted as athletic with brown eyes and hair, frequently tied back in a plait or ponytail. Her costume is usually a blue tank top, light brown shorts, calf high boots and long socks. Accessories and props include gloves, a backpack, a utility belt with holsters and two pistols. Most stories feature her being stranded on a mysterious, far away island, therefore emphasising the action-adventure genre.

8) Lara comes across opponents including lizards, snakes and spiders. There are not many different enemies as memory is key.

9) Lara Croft Go explores the ruins of an ancient civilization in the Amazon Jungle. This differs from previous games, which are set in four different zones: Peru, Greece, Egypt and the lost continent of Atlantis.

10) Originally, Lara Croft was depicted as a sex symbol in an attempt to appeal to young men, who made up most of the videogame fanbase. She was shown to hold an unrealistic, over-exaggerated standard of beauty which some believed defied the entire point of her being an independent, strong female protagonist. Now, Lara Croft has grown to become much more than an object of sexual desire, but rather her own individual, fearless being.

Representations:

1) Women in videogames are typically presented in an excessive, sexualised manner in order to appeal to the male-dominated fanbase. Their body features and figure are particularly exaggerated to make them appear more desirable and they are rarely perceived to be independent, strong-willed characters but rather a source of attraction.

2) Lara Croft reinforces stereotypes as she is conveyed to be an object of sexual desire. Her body features were particularly exaggerated in early versions of games. She is also deliberately designed, from her body figure to the revealing clothes she wears, to appeal to a wide male fanbase by having features which most men would perceive to be "perfect".

3) Lara subverts stereotypes through her being an action hero, which is usually typical of male characters in videogames. She is also an empowering female heroine who solely operates independently, which is atypical of most female representation within the media.

4) A reason as to why many believe that the video games industry is overtly sexist and requires change is due to the representation of women within these games. They are typically portrayed in unnecessarily revealing clothing, as well as their figure and body type being made very prominent. Contrastingly, male characters within video games are almost always covered and their bodies are not depicted in an exaggerated way in order to draw attention to them as opposed to the design of female characters within videogames. This is seemingly representative of how male-dominated the industry is as female characters are intentionally designed to appeal towards the likes of men, therefore the industry must change and become more inviting towards new female fans.

5) I feel as though Lara Croft serves as an empowering, inspirational woman towards the minority of females in the video game fanbase, however due to the superfluous, sexualised way in which she was designed in order to appeal towards the male-dominated fanbase, some may perceive her to be an object of sexual desire.

Industries:

1) PEGI stands for Pan European Game Information.

2) PEGI is a European video game rating system established to help consumers make informed decisions when buying video games or apps, through the use of age recommendations and content descriptors.

3) Lara Croft Go was created by Square Enix in 2014.

4) Lara Croft Go is the combination of two successful franchises - Lara Croft Tomb Raider and the Hitman Go mobile game.

5) Tomb Raider is a media franchise that originated with an action-adventure video game series created by British gaming company Core Design. Square Enix developed Hitman Go in 2014 based on the successful Hitman game franchise.

Audience:

1) An audience may enjoy playing Lara Croft Go due to the imaginative and elaborate storyline. Also, the fact that you can play it from your phone may be appealing to some players as it allows them to play at any time, whenever they desire.

2) An aspect of Lara Croft Go that makes it immensely appealing towards consumers is its phone-based gameplay. They would be able to play the game whenever they feel like it, whether it's after work/school, whilst travelling, or before bed. This eradicates the need for a gaming console e.g. a PlayStation in order to play the game; they have complete liberty to do so from the comfort of their own phone which can be moved around, meaning that they can play the game outside of their home.

3) Acrobatics and platforming are key features of a Tomb Raider adventure, therefore her animation is based upon the adventure genre of the game, in order to align with the abundant settings and complex narrative. She was also designed to have a provocative figure and dressed in overly revealing clothes in order to appeal to the male-dominated videogame fanbase.

4) Personal relationships applies to Lara Croft Go as audiences may feel as though they care for Lara's character and may be concerned about her outcome and survival. Lara Croft Go also offers diversion/entertainment due to the captivating narrative of the game which may deviate an audience away from their normal lives. Surveillance could perhaps be a prominent aspect of the game as it educates the audience on survival skills and allows them to view exotic settings.

5) The target audience for Lara Croft Go consists of the following: those interested in the quality of the innovative gameplay. those with brand loyalty to the Hitman Go series, those with brand loyalty based on the feminine empowerment displayed, those with brand loyalty based on nostalgia or even the sexualisation of Lara Croft (especially if they played older Croft games when at a formative age). Brand loyalty contributes to the overall target audience as many may feel more inclined to play the game if they have a pre-existing connection towards it.