Videogames case study 1: Lara Croft Go

Language

1) Who is Lara Croft and when did she first appear in a videogame?
in 1996 was the first game that she appeared in
2) What classic films influenced the creation of Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider games?
it was influenced by Indiana jones
3) How has Lara Croft and Tomb Raider moved beyond just being a videogame?
they have been seen in a film and comics
4) What devices can you play Lara Croft Go on?
only on mobile
5) What type of game is Lara Croft Go?
its an action turn-based puzzle game
6) How does Lara Croft Go use narrative (storyline)?
it still has the aspect of being in the jungle and finding relics and artefacts
7) What iconography can be found in Lara Croft Go? How does this help communicate the sub-genre of videogame? it introduced the famous character the puzzle based gameplay, the level design and that they could be played on mobile

8) What other characters or enemies feature in the game?
in Laura croft go its laura and in hitman go it is hitman or also known as agent 47
9) What is the setting for Lara Croft Go? How does this compare to previous Lara Croft or Tomb Raider games?
it has the element of a jungle and tombs being explored
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?  
it has evolved from a polygon styled character from a more detailed character to a movie chracter

Audience

1) Why might an audience enjoy playing Lara Croft Go?
people who like the lara croft series and people who like mobile games
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.
at a time where they are bored and a place where they dont have their console or device that they usually play on
3) How did Square Enix design Lara Croft to make it appealing to an audience?
its a puzzle game which works in a unique way at the same time adding in the features which it had with previous games
4) Which of Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory might apply to Lara Croft Go?
diversion as this is some sort of entertainment and at the same time it is a puzzle game which can mean that this requires some sort of thinking skill
5) Who is the target audience for Lara Croft Go? How does brand loyalty contribute to this target audience?
it is designed for people who like indiana jones kinds of games and puzzle and lara croft fans, brand loyalty can be used for when the 

Representation

1) How are women usually represented in videogames?
as weak and sexualised
2) How does the character of Lara Croft reinforce female stereotypes in the media?
body type of the character and appealing to male audiences
3) How does the character of Lara Croft subvert female stereotypes in the media?
strong brave adventurer and a very skilled fighter
4) Why do some people believe the videogames industry is sexist and needs to change?
because they keep sticking to the idea of stereotyping women and men of how some are stronger than the other
5) Do you think Lara Croft is an empowering feminist icon or just another objectified woman designed to appeal to male gamers?

i think it was to show that women can be strong individuals and somewhat appeal the male audiences

so that they can profit from their interests

Industries

1) What does PEGI stand for?
pan european game information
2) What is PEGI's job?
it is to rate the games age rating
3) Which company created Lara Croft Go?
square enix moral
4) What two popular videogame franchises were combined to create Lara Croft Go?
hitman go and lara croft go
5) What else is part of the Lara Croft/Tomb Raider franchise?
the element of climbing and adventuring 



Grade 8/9 extension tasks


Exam practice extension task:

“Videogames are increasingly played and enjoyed by a wider and more diverse audience." 

Does your study of Lara Croft Go support this view?

Write a detailed three-paragraph answer to this question using the information you have learned in this case study.

Language
1) Watch some Lara Croft Go gameplay online or, even better, play the game yourself. How is the game constructed to attract and maintain the engagement of an audience?

this is a fun game at the same time it is a puzzle which makes it something that makes you think at the same time it is fun, i think it is for people who are looking for some sort of challenge that will somewhat train their brains

2) How is narrative, character, iconography and setting used to create intertextuality? (Links to other genres and media texts)it uses it by linking to other story lines and the current one, it uses the same iconic lara croft and the same type of place and situations

Representation
1) Read this NME feature on the history of the Lara Croft character. Do you agree that she is now a 'feminist icon' rather than a 'trapezoid-boobed pinup'? What do these terms mean?
a person related to being a female and demanding things but a representative, the other one means that they have been sexualised in the actual product
2) Have later versions of the Tomb Raider/Lara Croft franchise featured a less-sexualised version of the character? Does this suggest society is changing in its attitude towards women?
i think they have reduced the sexualised amount during the more recent games
Industries
1) Why do videogame producers prefer the self-regulation of PEGI to government regulation? Why is videogame regulation increasingly important in the 21st century?
so that it can specify the specific age for certain people
2) Watch the full lecture embedded above: Distilling a franchise - the making of Lara Croft Go. How did the designers make conscious decisions based on previous franchises to create a successful game?
they added the same climbing and running mechanics and the enemies then but it into a puzzle and they used that same jungle place 
Audience
1) How has the marketing of Lara Croft/Tomb Raider franchise changed over the last 20 years and how might an audience respond to this? Think about reception theory - preferred and oppositional readings. 
they have evolved to become a unique game that was once old then created a franchise to a newer version
2) Does Lara Croft Go target a female audience? Why do you think female gamers dominate the phone/tablet market? i think it might as it shows the protagonist as a female, this makes to show that they are powerful in a physical and mental manor as in the games lara is an independent female who makes her way through the jungle.