Why does the representation of women possibly stop women getting involved in gaming?
The way women are portrayed in gaming is very sexualised and objectifying, which can be insulting to some women, putting them off playing games. This is the reason why women are more likely to play casual games such as sims and candy crush, as there is no sexual representation of women that put them off these games.
What was Lara Croft originally designed to represent?
Although the emphasized figure and looks were intentional, Lara Croft was originally designed to be a female heroin portrayed as strong and aggressive, arguably a male character with a female appearance.
How does Lara Croft conform to traditional representations of women and women and yet also subvert this stereotype?
Lara is sexually represented and portrayed as an object of sexual desire, designed to be appealing to men. However she is also an action hero – traditionally a male stereotype in gaming; which contributes with feminism and could be empowering to women.
How, in terms of her appearance and behaviour does she adopt characteristics of masculine gender identity? What characteristics are they?
In relation to how Lara is presented physically, it is evident that she posses male traits and characteristics, such as the grit and dirt shown on her and the masculine arms, along with her holding weapons. These things contribute to masculinity, as they indicate action and aggression, which is usually portrayed in men and male characters. In terms of behaviour, Lara is the main character in the game and as a result, does a lot of active fighting, killing and violent behaviour. She is put across as strong and a survivor, which again, is more expected in men.
Why would the game designers Square Enix do this? Who does she appeal to?
Despite her being less sexualised in this version of her avatar, the creators have acknowledged that her femininity and her being hyper sexualised has prompted success in male audiences, yet again, female audiences prefer the masculinity and strength, as it amplifies her being a feminist character and just as capable as men. This is why Lara here has elements of both masculinity, and femininity, in order to appeal to both male and female gamers.
Write a short description analysis of Lara Croft as a game character, what does she do?
Over the years, Lara Croft has become the iconic female character, widely recognised as the main character of the Tomb Raider games. In these games, she is portrayed as an archaeologist who ventures into ancient tombs and hazardous ruins around the world. From the early years of Lara Croft, it is evident that her portrayal may differ from what is recognized today. In the early years of Lara croft, she was presented as a female protagonist, however the avatar to match conveyed very feminine aspects which did not fit with her role in the game. However, as time went by, Lara has been adapted to a more masculine and toned body, with her femininity not as sexualised and emphasized, which is more suitable for her role and is more welcoming to women in gaming.
What genre were the original tomb raider games?
Originally, the Tomb Raider games were sought out to be action adventure games, and were aimed mostly at males.
Why does the representation of women possibly stop women getting involved in gaming?
It is clear that the way female characters in gaming are represented, has been a barrier between women and games. Females are often hypersexualised in video games, and their bodies are modified to extremity for male satisfaction. Due to the misleading and inaccurate representation of women in games, often females feel shut out and uninvited to play theses games, as evidently the characters aren't meant to meet their satisfaction or to be played by them. The male dominated gaming industry feel obliged to incorporate hyoersexualised females in their games in order to keep the male gamers interested and entertained, however for female gamers, this can often lead to offense and let down; therefore it may be that the representation of women in these games are indeed preventing women from playing them.
Why is she such an important figure in computer gaming history?
Lara is an extremely significant figure in computer gaming, as her character and portrayal is one that has not been made and appreciated before hand. Lara Croft is known as the fictional character in the Tomb Raider games, an English archaeologist who overcomes trouble as she explores hazardous tombs and ruins around the world, ostensibly a smart character. As we go back to the year Lara was first introduced, many would recognise her as the ridiculously large-breasted sex symbol, meticulously sculpted to appeal to the male gaze. Her body was dramatically sexualised and female parts of her were deliberately emphasised. Depsite this trend of her hypersexualised figure going on for many years, her figure later changed significantly. The 2013 reboot of Tomb Raider consisted of the newly modified, reconstructed Lara Croft. Her beauty and feminine features were kept, however aspects of sexuality were drawn back on, such as the reduction in breast size and the more masculine body type. This appealed to both men and women, specifically for women as the character had now become more relatable and not as belittling to women. The 2013 Tomb Raider wasn't just a very successful and enjoyed game, it was a historically important one, as i led more women into gaming, and showed that including women in the gaming industry to design characters as such; can lead to great success.
What was Lara Croft originally designed to represent?
In contempt of this being a debatable question, from my own interpretation, i believe that Lara was designed to show that women can be both heroic and physically appealing at the same time. Although her feminity was hypersexualised, i find that this was done deliberately for male satisfaction, and undeterred by this, i find that she was represented as a female icon and strong female character from the beginning. However i agree with the fact that her portrayal was misleading and resulted in many women not playing games as such; and that over the years as she has been modified and less sexualised, her heroic, feminist attitude has become more recognisable.
Why have these animals been chosen as a representation of evil (think scary, intertextuality in other media forms, etc).
The animals shown above are the evil characters of the Lara Croft Go game, and are portrayed as evil. The producers of this game have intentionally chosen these animals to portray the evil, because they also depict evil in the real world. For example, the most common enemy for Lara are the snakes. It is understandable that the producers have chosen to make her common enemy a snake, as many people’s common fears are snakes, as well as spiders, which are also notable enemies of Lara. Many believe that snakes contribute to the devil and evil, as for spiders; they are the second most common phobia in the world.
The way women are portrayed in gaming is very sexualised and objectifying, which can be insulting to some women, putting them off playing games. This is the reason why women are more likely to play casual games such as sims and candy crush, as there is no sexual representation of women that put them off these games.
What was Lara Croft originally designed to represent?
Although the emphasized figure and looks were intentional, Lara Croft was originally designed to be a female heroin portrayed as strong and aggressive, arguably a male character with a female appearance.
How does Lara Croft conform to traditional representations of women and women and yet also subvert this stereotype?
Lara is sexually represented and portrayed as an object of sexual desire, designed to be appealing to men. However she is also an action hero – traditionally a male stereotype in gaming; which contributes with feminism and could be empowering to women.
How, in terms of her appearance and behaviour does she adopt characteristics of masculine gender identity? What characteristics are they?
In relation to how Lara is presented physically, it is evident that she posses male traits and characteristics, such as the grit and dirt shown on her and the masculine arms, along with her holding weapons. These things contribute to masculinity, as they indicate action and aggression, which is usually portrayed in men and male characters. In terms of behaviour, Lara is the main character in the game and as a result, does a lot of active fighting, killing and violent behaviour. She is put across as strong and a survivor, which again, is more expected in men.
Why would the game designers Square Enix do this? Who does she appeal to?
Despite her being less sexualised in this version of her avatar, the creators have acknowledged that her femininity and her being hyper sexualised has prompted success in male audiences, yet again, female audiences prefer the masculinity and strength, as it amplifies her being a feminist character and just as capable as men. This is why Lara here has elements of both masculinity, and femininity, in order to appeal to both male and female gamers.
Write a short description analysis of Lara Croft as a game character, what does she do?
Over the years, Lara Croft has become the iconic female character, widely recognised as the main character of the Tomb Raider games. In these games, she is portrayed as an archaeologist who ventures into ancient tombs and hazardous ruins around the world. From the early years of Lara Croft, it is evident that her portrayal may differ from what is recognized today. In the early years of Lara croft, she was presented as a female protagonist, however the avatar to match conveyed very feminine aspects which did not fit with her role in the game. However, as time went by, Lara has been adapted to a more masculine and toned body, with her femininity not as sexualised and emphasized, which is more suitable for her role and is more welcoming to women in gaming.
What genre were the original tomb raider games?
Originally, the Tomb Raider games were sought out to be action adventure games, and were aimed mostly at males.
Why does the representation of women possibly stop women getting involved in gaming?
It is clear that the way female characters in gaming are represented, has been a barrier between women and games. Females are often hypersexualised in video games, and their bodies are modified to extremity for male satisfaction. Due to the misleading and inaccurate representation of women in games, often females feel shut out and uninvited to play theses games, as evidently the characters aren't meant to meet their satisfaction or to be played by them. The male dominated gaming industry feel obliged to incorporate hyoersexualised females in their games in order to keep the male gamers interested and entertained, however for female gamers, this can often lead to offense and let down; therefore it may be that the representation of women in these games are indeed preventing women from playing them.
Why is she such an important figure in computer gaming history?
Lara is an extremely significant figure in computer gaming, as her character and portrayal is one that has not been made and appreciated before hand. Lara Croft is known as the fictional character in the Tomb Raider games, an English archaeologist who overcomes trouble as she explores hazardous tombs and ruins around the world, ostensibly a smart character. As we go back to the year Lara was first introduced, many would recognise her as the ridiculously large-breasted sex symbol, meticulously sculpted to appeal to the male gaze. Her body was dramatically sexualised and female parts of her were deliberately emphasised. Depsite this trend of her hypersexualised figure going on for many years, her figure later changed significantly. The 2013 reboot of Tomb Raider consisted of the newly modified, reconstructed Lara Croft. Her beauty and feminine features were kept, however aspects of sexuality were drawn back on, such as the reduction in breast size and the more masculine body type. This appealed to both men and women, specifically for women as the character had now become more relatable and not as belittling to women. The 2013 Tomb Raider wasn't just a very successful and enjoyed game, it was a historically important one, as i led more women into gaming, and showed that including women in the gaming industry to design characters as such; can lead to great success.
What was Lara Croft originally designed to represent?
In contempt of this being a debatable question, from my own interpretation, i believe that Lara was designed to show that women can be both heroic and physically appealing at the same time. Although her feminity was hypersexualised, i find that this was done deliberately for male satisfaction, and undeterred by this, i find that she was represented as a female icon and strong female character from the beginning. However i agree with the fact that her portrayal was misleading and resulted in many women not playing games as such; and that over the years as she has been modified and less sexualised, her heroic, feminist attitude has become more recognisable.
Why have these animals been chosen as a representation of evil (think scary, intertextuality in other media forms, etc).
The animals shown above are the evil characters of the Lara Croft Go game, and are portrayed as evil. The producers of this game have intentionally chosen these animals to portray the evil, because they also depict evil in the real world. For example, the most common enemy for Lara are the snakes. It is understandable that the producers have chosen to make her common enemy a snake, as many people’s common fears are snakes, as well as spiders, which are also notable enemies of Lara. Many believe that snakes contribute to the devil and evil, as for spiders; they are the second most common phobia in the world.