Videogames case study 1: Lara Croft Go

 1) Who is Lara Croft and when did she first appear in a videogame?

lara croft was a archaeologist and came out 2001 

2) What classic films influenced the creation of Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider games?

Indianan Jones

3) How has Lara Croft and Tomb Raider moved beyond just being a videogame?

she was seen in the movie tomp raider in 2001

4) What devices can you play Lara Croft Go on?

your phone or tablet 

5) What type of game is Lara Croft Go?

Lara croft go is a turn based puzzle adventure

6) How does Lara Croft Go use narrative (storyline) to make the game enjoyable for the audience?

“Acrobatics and platforming are key features of a Tomb Raider adventure, and we quickly realized that Lara had to be fully animated. Our animator did an amazing job of quickly producing a first batch of short animations for Lara, and immediately everything felt better. Again, we looked back at Lara’s classic animations from the first Tomb Raider and they fit right in with our turn-based game.”

7) What iconography can be found in Lara Croft Go? How does this help communicate the genre of the game?

Lara Croft Go explores the ruins of an ancient civilisation in the Amazon Jungle while fighting menacing enemies, overcome dangerous obstacles and traps, and ultimately, uncover the myth of the Queen of Venom.  There is no specific timescale – but is modern-day in Lara’s weaponry.

This concept of action adventure exploring and uncovering relics from ancient civilisations is not new and there is some intertextuality here with the Indiana Jones movies, original Tomb Raider games, Tomb Raider films and more.

8) What other characters or enemies feature in the game?

the enemy's in Lara croft include the wild life of the jungle for example snakes and bugs 

9) What is the setting for Lara Croft Go? How does this compare to previous Lara Croft or Tomb Raider games?

Lara Croft Go explores the ruins of an ancient civilization in the Amazon Jungle.this links back to the other lara croft franchises as they all take place in in a amazon or some type ancient ruin.

10) Read this BBC article on the history of Lara Croft and Tomb Raider. How has the character of Lara Croft evolved over the last 20 years?  

lara craft over the last 20 years has developed he looks and the graphics make the small details in the game way better giving us a better look at what he looks like.

Representation

1) How are women usually represented in videogames?

weak and defenceless and also are usually the one getting saved every time for example in supermario where the main character try's to save the princes.

2) How does the character of Lara Croft reinforce female stereotypes in the media?

• 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.

3) How does the character of Lara Croft subvert female stereotypes in the media?

• 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)

4) Why do some people believe the video games industry is sexist and needs to change?

this is because for along time women where always the weak one in video games there for being the main stereotype for girls on games.

5) Do you think Lara Croft is an empowering feminist icon or just another objectified woman designed to appeal to male gamers?

Lara croft changed the way women are presented for example for the first time in video games a female protagonist is presented and is also shown to be strong and resilient. 

Industries

1) What does PEGI stand for?

PEGI stands for Pan European Game Information

2) What is PEGI's job?

PEGI was set up by the ISFE* – an independent group that represents European software companies. Important: this is an example of self-regulation, not government.

3) Which company created Lara Croft Go?

Lara Croft Go is the combination of two successful 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.

4) What two popular videogame franchises were combined to create Lara Croft Go?

tomb raider and hit-man. 

5) What else is part of the Lara Croft/Tomb Raider franchise?

Hit man go.

Audience

1) Why might an audience enjoy playing Lara Croft Go?

This is because it bring a feeling of nostalgia  to the audience 

2) Where and when might an audience play a game like Lara Croft Go? Think about the device it is played on and the times of the day someone might want to play the game.

Lara-croft is a puzzle based strategy game and is mostly played on mobile

3) How did Square Enix design Lara Croft to make it appealing to an audience?

in the game lara croft is seen wearing reviling clothes to appeal to the male demographic 

4) Which of Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory might apply to Lara Croft Go?

It might apply to the how the audience likes the acrobatics and platforming features and how well the game is animated . 

5) Who is the target audience for Lara Croft Go? How does brand loyalty contribute to this target audience?

the main target audience for laracroft go are those who enjoy the nostalgic feeling of the old lara croft games and how good the animations are.