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?
  • Steve Neale- genre, protagonist role empowers
  • Intertextuality- Gold colour scheme
    • Indiana Jones (quest, treasure, Action adventure genre)
    • Intertextuality through colour scheme- gold/brown
  • Star Wars scrolling text (nostalgia)
  • James Bond
  • Minecraft font- intertextuality between the two 

2) How does the pose and costume of the character appeal to primarily male audiences?
  • The costuming is revealing that accentuates her body (figure) therefore, it appeals to a male audience (male gaze)
  • Impractical?
  • Posture- focuses on her physique (bum and breasts)

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

Females can be just as stealthy as men and a central sole character in video games.

Gameplay analysis

Watch the following gameplay clips again:




1) What does the gameplay for Tomb Raider Anniversary involve?
  • Lara Croft’s gymnastic ability is HYPERREAL (key media term).
  • This means that it is an exaggeration of the real world which the audience accept as a representation.

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.
  • Lara Croft avatar - highlights her athleticism through her movements and ability to manoeuvre through difficult situations.
  • The simplistic gameplay - it's straightforward and easy to follow. This is an important aspect of the game because it appeals to the mainstreamers due to its accessibility and simple narrative structure.
  • Sound FX - Lara Croft's grunting and noises add to the realism of the game and her adventure. However, it can be argued that it has a hyper-realistic effect as it tries to over exaggerate her reactions in an attempt to make the game more believable.
  • Implicit intertextuality - subtle links to other franchises and films in the action/adventure genre - Indiana Jones etc. 
  • Low angle shots - accentuate the minimal clothing worn by Lara Croft as well as her body 

3) Analyse the clips for audience pleasures, applying audience theory and considering media effects.
  • Enigma Codes - helps to emphasise the sense of mystery. The enigma surrounding how the player is meant to escape/solve the problems in order to progress in the game encourages the player to be as resourceful and independent as Lara Croft is in the game. 
  • Satisfaction of completing the difficult tasks and managing to succeed in the physically challenging tasks (i.e. swinging between walls and climbing successfully).
  • Diversion - experiencing fantasy to escape from reality and experience an alternative reality from the perspective of another person.
  • Voyeuristic pleasures - sexualisation of Lara Croft offers pleasures for the gamer playing
  • Autonomy - the sense of control that the audience has over the game (camera movement and the decisions that the protagonist makes).

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.
  • Lara Croft is the most successful human videogame heroine of all time, gracing more than 1,100 magazine covers and selling over 58 million videogame units.
2) How does the article describe the cultural change in society and the media since the early 00s?

  • The article describes how conversations surrounding women's equality has changed entirely. Lads' mags that tend to sexualise and objectify females have been taken out of circulation and women are now calling out sexism. For example, the #MeToo movement has encouraged women  to call out and raise awareness of everyday sexism and harassment that women are forced to endure. 

    The cultural changes have been highlighted through Lara Croft's costume changes. Rather than having the revealing and impractical outfit of hot pants and tight tops, she is now clothed in cargo trousers to encourage the audience to focus on her attitude, intelligence and athleticism.
3) How was the original 1996 Lara Croft received by audiences and critics?

  • Lara Croft first tumbled into our lives in 1996, shooting bears, diving over booby traps and swinging between ledges with vines. She was strong, smart and had an amazing job: she was already a role model.

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?
  • Woke Lara is defined as someone noticed for her: lightness, intelligence, recklessness, courage and physical ability.

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

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

Lara Croft is considered a polarising figure because there has always been a constant debate as to whether or not Lara Croft is an actual icon/role model - whether or not she is a feminist role model or a "digital pin-up girl" for male gamers to look at.


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

It was typical to use the body features of women to help gamers distinguish them from the male characters in videogames. Designing other features such as longer hair was difficult to design due to the limitations in the technology and game construction so emphasising her breasts hips and legs was a method of feminising her.



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

They were emphasised to help market the franchise. In the actual game, she was overly sexualised and it encouraged audiences to look at her body rather than focusing on her actual role and position in the game.


4) How does Anita Sarkeesian describe Lara Croft?

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

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

 Lara Croft's characterisation has changed over time in order to adapt the game to the changing atmosphere and nature of the gaming industry. Also, as societal views on women's equality and femininity have shifted over time, Tomb Raider also needed to do so so that they could maintain relevance.

Industries

1) Why is Lara Croft such an iconic figure in the gaming industry?
Lara Croft is such an iconic figure in the gaming industry because of what she represents. She was one of the first sole female protagonist characters to be portrayed in video games 

2) What products and spin-offs have featured Lara Croft or the Tomb Raider brand?
  • Feature films starring Angelina Jolie 
  • Animations 
  • TV Series
  • Lucozade adverts featuring Lara Croft's character 
3) Why might Lara Croft be considered a postmodern icon?

It is a case study in conglomerate ownership because over time, the Tomb Raider Franchise has grown under the control of multiple different companies. Core design was bought by Eidos Interactive (who published the original game). Eidos were then bought by Square Enix - a transnational publisher that is based in Japan. This is an example of conglomerate ownership because it reflects the benefits of vertical integration and the control that companies can have as a result of doing so.

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

It is a case study in conglomerate ownership because over time, the Tomb Raider Franchise has grown under the control of multiple different companies. Core design was bought by Eidos Interactive (who published the original game). Eidos were then bought by Square Enix - a transnational publisher that is based in Japan. This is an example of conglomerate ownership because it reflects the benefits of vertical integration and the control that companies can have as a result of doing so.


Grade A/A* extension tasks

Link Tomb Raider Anniversary to our work in the unit so far:

1) What examples from the Tomb Raider franchise are included in Anita Sarkeesian's video series 'Tropes vs Women in Video Games'?

2) How can we apply Liesbet van Zoonen's work to Lara Croft and Tomb Raider?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MIGRAIN:Narrative

-
Image
Narrative Media Factsheet 14: 1) Give an example from film or television that uses Todorov's narrative structure of equilibrium, disequilibrium and new equilibrium. The given example of a show using Todorov's narrative structure is Wallace and Gromit 2) Complete the activity on page 1 of the Factsheet: find a  clip  on YouTube of the opening of a new TV drama series (season 1, episode 1). Embed the clip in your blog and write an analysis of the narrative markers that help establish setting, character and plot.  The clip that i used was season 1 episode 1 from stranger things. There is a group of boys who are playing a board game called Dungeons and Dragons. They are playing and having a great time as any child would but this is disrupted as the mother says it's time to finish the game and the friends must go home now. Mike, tries to convince his mum to let them play a little longer but she says no. As the friends leave the music increases and the fact that ...
Read more

Advertising: Assessment

-
David Gauntlett has argued against the idea that masculinity is 'in crisis'. To what extent do you believe masculinity is 'in crisis'? In your response you should refer to your Advertising and Marketing Close Study Products: the Score  hair cream advert (1967) and the Maybelline ‘That Boss Life’ YouTube advert (2017). I agree with this statement as Gauntlett argues that views of gender and sexuality, masculinity and femininity, identity and selfhood, are all in slow but steady processes of change and transformation. He also highlights the differences in views on identity between young and old- e.g. on homosexuality or masculinity and argues that the mass media has become more liberal, and considerably more challenging to traditional standards and this has been a reflection of changing attitudes, but also involves the media actively disseminating modern values. Moreover, there have been significant changes in the way gender roles are represented from the 1960s to...
Read more

Advertising: Narrative in Advertising

-
Image
1) How does the advert use narrative? Apply at least three narrative theories to the text, making specific reference to specific shots or key scenes in the advert. We can apply Todorov's equilibrium and disequilibrium theory to the text. This is because each time a character talks about their struggles/ problems training for their sport in the capital. (which can be seen as disequilibrium), Nike can be seen as the equilibrium as it is introduced every time a character's issue is established. Nike is continuously reappearing in throughout the advert to make it recognisable to the audience as well as to connote that Nike can be seen as the solution to all problems. We can also apply Propp's elements of a character theory to the text. This is because Nike as the brand being promoted can be seen as the hero. The saviour to all the problems as mentioned above. The characters can be seen as the princess' who are in dire need of help.  We also apply ...
Read more