Remember that audiences consume media products for a variety of reasons (from Blumler and Katz: Uses and Gratification Theory)
- The need to be INFORMED and EDUCATED about the world in which we live (Surveillance)
- The need to IDENTIFY personally with characters and situations in order to learn more about themselves (Personal Identity)
- The need to be ENTERTAINED (Diversion) and escape daily life.
- The need for SOCIAL INTERACTION (Personal Relationships)
DIversion as it is a videogame
Who is the target audience for Tomb Raider / Lara Croft games? They fall into various groups and may be a mixture of all three:
- Those interested in the quality of the innovative gameplay.
- Those with brand loyalty to the Hitman Go series.
- Those with brand loyalty based on the feminine empowerment displayed.
- Those with brand loyalty based on nostalgia or even the sexualisation of Lara Croft (especially if they played older Croft games when at a formative age)
The target audience was teenage to middlew age men who wanted to play an action and adventure game while having some "eye candy"
Videogames: Lara Croft Go blog tasks
Create a blogpost called 'Lara Croft Go CSP Blog Tasks' and complete all the following questions under the subheadings Language, Representation, Industries and Audience.
Language
1) When did Lara Croft first appear in a videogame?
1996
2) What classic films influenced the creation of Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider games?
2) What classic films influenced the creation of Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider games?
Indiana Jones
3) How has Lara Croft and Tomb Raider moved beyond just being a videogame?
3) How has Lara Croft and Tomb Raider moved beyond just being a videogame?
Movies
4) What devices can you play Lara Croft Go on?
4) What devices can you play Lara Croft Go on?
Mobile
5) What type of game is Lara Croft Go?
5) What type of game is Lara Croft Go?
Puzzle, action adventure
6) How does Lara Croft Go use narrative (storyline) to make the game enjoyable for the audience?
6) How does Lara Croft Go use narrative (storyline) to make the game enjoyable for the audience?
BY including easter eggs back to the old games and still maintaining her iconic look while removing her over sexualized aspects
7) What iconography can be found in Lara Croft Go? How does this help communicate the genre of the game? Think about mise-en-scene and setting here.
7) What iconography can be found in Lara Croft Go? How does this help communicate the genre of the game? Think about mise-en-scene and setting here.
It has a map as a loading and has typical adventure gear as tab icons on the home screen. These are all on theme with the genre of adventure
8) What other characters or enemies feature in the game?
8) What other characters or enemies feature in the game?
SNakes and spiders
9) What is the setting for Lara Croft Go? How does this compare to previous Lara Croft or Tomb Raider games?
9) What is the setting for Lara Croft Go? How does this compare to previous Lara Croft or Tomb Raider games?
It is inside of a jungle/cave/tomb. These are all common locations through these games
10) Read this BBC article on the history of Lara Croft and Tomb Raider. How has the character of Lara Croft evolved over the
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 25 years?
BY making her less sexualized and making her seem like a more independent and as a stand out role model
Representations
1) How are women usually represented in videogames?
As oversexualised damsels in distress
2) How does the character of Lara Croft reinforce female stereotypes in the media?
2) How does the character of Lara Croft reinforce female stereotypes in the media?
By making her oversexuali8sed and attractive to the male audience
3) How does the character of Lara Croft subvert female stereotypes in the media?
MAking her a strong ondependent female lead
4) Why do some people believe the videogames industry is sexist and needs to change?
3) How does the character of Lara Croft subvert female stereotypes in the media?
MAking her a strong ondependent female lead
4) Why do some people believe the videogames industry is sexist and needs to change?
5) Do you think Lara Croft is an empowering feminist icon or just another objectified woman designed to appeal to male gamers?
Industries
1) What does PEGI stand for?
2) What is PEGI's job?
3) Which company created Lara Croft Go?
4) What two popular videogame franchises were combined to create Lara Croft Go?
5) What else is part of the Lara Croft/Tomb Raider franchise?
Audience
1) Why might an audience enjoy playing Lara Croft Go?
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.
3) How did Square Enix design Lara Croft to make it appealing to an audience?
4) Which of Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory might apply to Lara Croft Go?
5) Who is the target audience for Lara Croft Go? How does brand loyalty contribute to this target audience?
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