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Same Goals

Goals are the same: Feminists and Lara Croft Industry

Feminists have goals for the female game audience. They would like to see females more involved. Now the Lara Croft Industry has made some of the feminists' goals reality. They have incorporated the goals into Tomb Raider. Not all feminists, Helen W Kennedy, would agree that the industry is working, but some do, Nikki Douglas.
Feminists and the Lara Croft Industry are working together with three issues. The first is the targeted market to which games are produced, the second is Lara’s appearance, and the third is the patriarchal society in which Lara was created.

Before I go into these goals, a basic background of Lara Croft, the character, is needed. For this section, I rented Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness to do my research. Lara is a rich female without a set career. She can pursue what she wants. She receives an early training with firearms, and studies under Werner Von Croy.

Now the first issue, the targeted marketing audience, is focused on the male audience. Research has shown that males play more video games and prefer action/fighting games. Feminists feel that Tomb Raider was created for the male audience to make a profit. This is true that the industry wants to make a profit but there’s a little more to it.

Research has shown that females prefer playing platform games, or mission/quest games. Tomb Raider is a fighting, action/platform game. Lara is on a mission to recover stolen artwork. She also has to fight her way through the mission. There are weapons and killing and blood, but there is also a quest. The industry combined action and platform games to draw in the female audience. That is how they will make more of a profit, by attracting both audiences.

The second issue is Lara’s appearance. You’ve seen my blog “They have breast, so what?”, and it covers most of this section. One idea that I didn’t touch on in that blog, is how females can appeal to lesbians. Lara’s large mouth, eyes, breasts, and tiny waist are appealing to look at. Lara is pleasing to the eye for either gender. She gives females a chance for queer identification, whether it done consciously or unconsciously. Both audiences can enjoy Lara’s physical appearance.

The third issue is how Lara is portrayed in a patriarchal society. Lara was created to accommodate the patriarchal society in which she was created, but she also goes against it. She has the physical appearance that is pleasing to men, but she also is pleasing to women. She is told what to do by a man, Von Croy, in the first two, but doesn’t in the third. Lara actually fights him at the beginning, and ends up killing him. She murders her oppressor. She doesn’t fit into any of the female stereotypes, and doesn’t fall in love. If she has feelings for a man, she pushes him away or destroys him. Lara doesn’t need a man in her life. She does find without one.

These are some basic issues that feminists and The Lara Croft Industry agree and disagree on. They are both on the same page with goals for the female audience, and will hopefully continue to make further progress.

Posted by Rachel Howard at April 20, 2004 05:36 PM