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?
The cover communicates the game genre through action codes such clothing and her hair through the tunnel to which she is positioned. It also shows props like a gun, to portray violence in the game.
2) How does the pose and costume of the character appeal to primarily male audiences?
Through the use of a gun, and her tight body clothing making the costume appeals to a male audience. This is backed up by Mulveys theory of male gaxe
3) How might the cover be read as empowering for female gamers?
2) How does the pose and costume of the character appeal to primarily male audiences?
Through the use of a gun, and her tight body clothing making the costume appeals to a male audience. This is backed up by Mulveys theory of male gaxe
3) How might the cover be read as empowering for female gamers?
The cover can be read as empowering for female gamers as a secondary element to her identity is the sexualization of Lara Croft. Showing the angle as low may show power within Lara Croft, while the clothing reinforces attractiveness and femininity
Gameplay analysis
Watch the following gameplay clips again:
1) What does the gameplay for Tomb Raider Anniversary involve?
The gameplay is third-person gunplay which is similar to Lara's POV, cut scenes and action scenes including images of reaction and close-ups, ancient ruins and a highly traditional environment for a quest narrative.
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 lighting emphasises the protagonist and the sound effects show the checkpoints and movement along with visuals, which enhances the storey element of the quest if the game is played.
3) Analyse the clips for audience pleasures, applying audience theory and considering media effects.
Blumler and Katz: Diversion, personal identity, and partnerships Power and autonomy gratification. This is through choice of gun freedom and control of perspective. The sexual gratification of seeing a woman running, jumping and battling continuously.
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.
About 1,100 magazine covers the sale of more than 58 million game units worldwide.
2) How does the article describe the cultural change in society and the media since the early 00s?
The discussion about women's equality has ' completely changed ' with campaigns like # MeToo giving women a voice and the increase of female protagonists encouraging women to be known for their intelligence, stamina and personality in the action / adventure genre, rather than their unrealistic body proportions.
3) How was the original 1996 Lara Croft received by audiences and critics?
She was seen as being ' powerful, intelligent, and a role model. ' Conversely, described by Germaine Greer as a "distorted, sexually ambiguous, male fantasy" 4) What did the 2013 re-launch do differently – and how successful was it?
As an athletic figure, she wore cargo pants and had physical injuries as well. It contrasted with the short shorts and raised questions. 5) How is ‘woke Lara’ defined in the conclusion of the feature?
Lara Croft is seen to be very determined individual who is physically able.
Now read this feature – Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft: feminist or femme fatale?
1) Why is Lara Croft considered a “polarising figure among gamers”?
There has been a lot of discussion about whether Lara Croft is really an inspiring role model or just a male gaze image. 2) How did the limitations of game construction in the 1990s help to establish the way female characters were animated?
What differentiated the female and male characters in games is the accentuation of the female property. 3) Why were Lara Croft’s physical attributes emphasised in the original games?
They were highlighted because it expected that the bulk of the game audience would be male in order to create a highly physically identified protagonist. 4) How does Anita Sarkeesian describe Lara Croft?
'hypersexualised character that promotes the deep objectification of women'
Over the years, Lara Croft has changed to fit society's values and philosophies in a modern age. She has ' diched ' the provocative clothes to make her charter look more practical and less seen as a sign of gender.
Industries
1) Why is Lara Croft such an iconic figure in the gaming industry?
Lara Croft is one of the early women in the gaming world who is dedicated to her with a whole game and film franchise. Her strong character and abilities represent the females positively 2) What products and spin-offs have featured Lara Croft or the Tomb Raider brand?
The advertisement of Lucozade, Lara Croft GO!, The face magazine 3) Why might Lara Croft be considered a postmodern icon?
It became part of the ' real world ' and the contrast between reality and construction became more blurred as it became a cultural icon. 4) Why is Tomb Raider Anniversary a 'case study in conglomerate ownership'?
Tomb Raider's anniversary ownership began with ' Core Design, ' a UK company that was purchased by Eidos Interactive and then by Square Enix.
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