Lara Croft Go CSP Case Study

Language:
1)
Lara Croft was the first featuring female character to ever be a protagonist on a computer game which was Tomb Raider during the year 1996 on the Eidos Playstation.

2)
The creation of the Tomb Raider Games was influenced by the classic film Indiana Jones while the character of Lara Croft herself was influenced by the daughter of a Lord who later became a famous archaeologist and was called Lara Croft. These aspects eventually helped to put together the game involving the aim to complete missions through the varying settings of tombs and jungles.

3)
Despite first featuring in a video game the franchise has grown immensely from when it first launched as it has now had a film remake of the game in recent years staring Angelina Jolie even appearing on magazine covers even more so than any supermodel. There have also been merchandise, comic-books and spin-offs featuring Lara Croft emphasising just how much of an impact she has on the gaming community.

4)
You can play Lara Croft Go on both Android and Apple devices by downloading it from either the App Store or the Google Play Store.

5)
Lara Croft Go is a turn-based puzzle centred game involving both action and adventure. These aspects are displayed when the player has to make calculated moves in order to avoid enemies or traps which may end up killing you.

6)
Lara Croft Go uses narrative to act as a form of diversion as the player will be focused on discovering relics which will only make the player more determined to finish the game. Exploring the ruins of an ancient civilisation while fighting enemies also provide visceral pleasure as the player probably hasn't experienced this in real life. This will cause them to feel excitement towards the game and the constant tension throughout the game as they're playing it.

7)
In Lara Croft Go there are trees, vines, cliffs, caves and rocks. All of these easily allow the audience to interpret that it is some kind of jungle setting and some may be able to tell that it is in fact the Amazon Jungle. This can help the audience to know that there could be a lot of enemies mostly in the form of animals as that is their natural habitat making them aware of these aspects of the game.

8)
In the game Lara Croft Go, Lara Croft comes across quite a lot of enemies such as Lizards, Snakes and Spiders while the main villain is the Queen of Venom.

9)
The setting for Lara Croft Go is the Amazon Jungle mainly inside the caves and at cliffs in order for the player to feel some thrill when playing the game. This is quite different from the far away island locations in the previous Tomb Raider games. This makes it seem much more adventurous and exciting for the player.

10)
Over the last 20 years Lara Croft has become a more respectable and influential character in the gaming community leading the example that having a female heroine can be done well. Lara Croft was able to inspire many people encouraging many females to take control. When Lara Croft was first created she was heavily sexualised with a body that did not fit realistic human proportions and clothes that certainly did not fit her mission of finding relics these are some of the reasons why her character was antagonised. As the game continued to adapt her figure became much less sexualised and believable with clothing that was actually appropriate to her mission.

Representation:
1)
In video games, women are usually represented as having overly sexualised bodies with only little clothing. being either the love interest or support of the main character. It is also suggested that in order to have a successful female protagonist they must still display typical male stereotypes. 

2)

The character of Lara Croft reinforces stereotypes of females in the media as her features were extremely exaggerated in the first versions of the game. She was also scantily clad which does suggest that they were really aiming the game towards male audiences rather than female audiences. She also displays features that would be 'ideal' to a mean making her an attractive and desirable game character. 

3)

The character of Lara Croft also subverts female stereotypes in the media as although she is an empowering female heroine in order to do so she must display male stereotypes. This suggests that in order to have a powerful female character they must still be identified with the stereotypes of a man. Lara Croft was able to have such an impact on the gaming industry as she really gave women in the gaming community a sense of belief that they too could be influential and do what they wanted.

4)

Some people believe that the video games industry is sexist and needs to change due to the rise of 'Gamer Gate' which started discrimination against females in the gaming community. The fact that death threats were being made to females in the industry and community definitely means that something has to be rectified in order for not only men but females to be equal in the community. 

5)

I think that when Lara Croft was first created she was merely an objectified woman but over the years I believe that she has changed into an empowering feminist icon. To the creators she may have been objectified (in the early stages) but to especially the females in the gaming community she must have been an idol who really gave them hope. Now this has thoroughly been carried on to the Lara Croft now, showing not only the change of Lara Croft but part of the change in the gaming community and industry as well. 

Industries:

1)
PEGI stands for Pan European Game Information.

2)

PEGI is a European video game rating system whose job is to help consumers make informed decisions when purchasing video games or apps through the use of age recommendations and content descriptors. This is especially useful for parents with children who want a certain game as they can easily tell the contents of the game and whether or not it is suitable for their child to play.

3)
The original Tomb Raider games were created by the British gaming company Core Design which was then bought by Eidos Interactive which was then bought by Square Enix. This makes Square Enix the creator of Lara Croft Go.

4)
Lara Croft Go was the result of a combination between the popular Tomb Raider game franchise and the Hitman Go mobile game. By using Tomb Raider they were already given a well known character that was instantly recognisable for consumers and by mixing it with the successful puzzle based aspect of Hitman Go they were able to create a successful plan for success.

5)
In the Lara Croft/Tomb Raider franchise along with the video games there have also been movie adaptions, comic books, spin offs, advertising campaigns and merchandise all based on the original Tomb Raider game.

Audience:
1)
An audience may enjoy playing Lara Croft Go due to all the nostalgia that the character of Lara Croft brings to players who may have played the original Tomb Raider games. Additionally, the visceral pleasure that the audience will feel during engaging bits of the game are sure to provide some thrill/excitement for them.

2)
An audience may play Lara Croft Go when they are waiting for something or just relaxing so in places such as: a bus stop; a train; a bus; a train station; in bed; on the sofa. These are places where the audience may feel bored and so in order to keep themselves occupied they may decide to play the game that can be opened quickly as it is a mobile app and doesn't require you to play a long game so you can leave it where you left it off.

3)
Square Enix decided to design Lara Croft as fully animated using her design in the first Tomb Raider games as a reference for her completely animated design in Lara Croft Go. These animated features were able to polish off the game and make it look much more appealing.

4)
Of Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory I believe that both Diversion and Personal Relationships have been incorporated. For Diversion, there is a completely different location that we may not have seen in real life before along with enemies and puzzles we wouldn't have the chance to encounter in real life. For Personal Relationships, the fact that Lara Croft is in it will make players of the previous Tomb Raider games almost feel as though they are well acquainted with her already which will in turn almost further develop the relationship he they have with Lara Croft.

5)
The target audience for Lara Croft Go is probably for ages 10-30 as this can not only engage the minds of young people but also for older people who may be on their way to work and might want to play the game. Additionally, loyal players of Tomb Raider who may be older are quite likely to still play Lara Croft God despite their age in order to feel the nostalgia they may have felt when they first played the game.