Lara Croft GO case study

1) Who is Lara Croft and when did she first appear in a videogame?
 Lara Croft is a female video game character and she first appeared in 1996 Eidos Playstation game Tomb Raider and was the first computer game to feature a female character as the protagonist
2) What classic films influenced the creation of Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider games?
The narrative of Tomb Raider was influenced by Indiana Jones.
3) How has Lara Croft and Tomb Raider moved beyond just being a videogame?
Lara Croft has featured in films (the first starring Angelina Jolie; new 2018 version is rebooting the character). Also there have been advertising tie-ins, merchandise, comic books and  spin-offs featuring the character. The franchise has had numerous incarnations before Lara Croft Go in 2015. 
4) What devices can you play Lara Croft Go on?
Andriod,IOS and most of handheld devices.
5) What type of game is Lara Croft Go?
Action adventure-puzzle game.
6) How does Lara Croft Go use narrative (storyline)?
Lara Croft Go explores the ruins of an ancient civilization in the Amazon Jungle while fighting enemies, overcoming dangerous obstacles and traps, and later to uncover the myth of the Queen of Venom. 
7) What iconography can be found in Lara Croft Go? How does this help communicate the sub-genre of videogame?

It is set in a jungle which shows that is an adventure game, also there are old tombs and ruins.
8) What other characters or enemies feature in the game?
Lizards, Snakes, Spiders and finally the queen of venom.
9) What is the setting for Lara Croft Go? How does this compare to previous Lara Croft or Tomb Raider games?
The setting is in temple ruins in a jungle and it is a typical location for tomb raider games and adventure 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 last 20 years?  
At first she was sexualised for the pleasure of male gamers, later on she became less sexualised and became an icon for feminism as she was the first female protaganist in  a game.

Representation

1) How are women usually represented in videogames?
Usually females are one of the characters that you have to save in videogames however now they are increasingly becoming the protaganist.
2) How does the character of Lara Croft reinforce female stereotypes in the media?
Because she wears jean shorts and barely any clothing in the game, also she is very slim.
3) How does the character of Lara Croft subvert female stereotypes in the media?
Shes a strong independant female character and she holds guns which is unusual for female characters.
4) Why do some people believe the videogames industry is sexist and needs to change?
Because in the videogames industry there are barely any female heroes/protaganists and even if there are some then they are usually oversexualised.
5) Do you think Lara Croft is an empowering feminist icon or just another objectified woman designed to appeal to male gamers?
I believe that lara croft is a role model for females as she is very strong and shown that she can take on anything.
Industries

1) What does PEGI stand for?
Pan European Game Information
2) What is PEGI's job?
They choose what age ratings games should be.3) Which company created Lara Croft Go?
Square enix.
4) What two popular videogame franchises were combined to create Lara Croft Go?
Hitman Go and Tomb raider
5) What else is part of the Lara Croft/Tomb Raider franchise?
Hitman.

Audience

1) Why might an audience enjoy playing Lara Croft Go?
Because they may have played lara croft games before so they want a sense of nostalgia.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.
While they are on transport or on the way to school/work.3) How did Square Enix design Lara Croft to make it appealing to an audience?
It is a puzzle game and just like hitman go.
4) Which of Blumler and Katz's Uses and Gratifications theory might apply to Lara Croft Go?
Because they made the game very similar to the old tomb raider games.5) Who is the target audience for Lara Croft Go? How does brand loyalty contribute to this target audience?
Mainly for people who used to play old Lara Croft games.

Magazines and advertising assessment: Learner response

1) Type up your feedback in full (you don't need to write the mark and grade if you want to keep this confidential).
Total 14
WWW:This is frustrating... you clearly understand many of the key ideas and issues but this isn't reflected in your grade.
EBI:Too many answers are poor quality or lazy. Written English is very poor in someplaces. Too many basic errors.
2) Read through your answers again. Write down the mark you achieved for each question:

Q1:1
Q2:1
Q3:3
Q4:2
Q5:2
Q6:5

3) Write down five magazine cover conventions. Look back at the original notes if you need help.
Central image
Title
Slogan
Colour scheme 
Cover lines

4) Look at the mark scheme for this assessment. Question 3 asked you to write about how the CSP magazine covers persuade the audience to buy the product. Copy two bullet point answers for Reveal magazine and two bullet point answers for Tatler magazine from the mark scheme that you didn't use in your original answer.

The use of Serif font for the title gives the word ‘Tatler’ a more regal,
formal and sophisticated appearance which reinforces the magazine’s
brand identity as upper class and associated with style and elegance.

The price in the top third is bold and looks like a pound coin which

connotes the cheapness of the product.



5) Look at the mark scheme for Question 5 on the NHS Represent advert. Write down three of the people in the NHS Represent advert (include both their name and what they are famous for) and why they subvert the stereotype for gender or race/ethnicity.
Female boxer – Olympic medal winner Nicola Adams-This subverts stereotypes for women as they are seen as sensitive.
A disabled athlete – wheelchair basketball player and TV presenter Ade
Adepitan-This subverts stereotypes that people with disabilities cannot do sports.
Strong black and Asian role models- the BAME community aren’t usually seen as strong or as role models.

6) For Question 6, read the exemplar answer in the mark scheme. Re-write your own answer to Question 6 making sure you include all three advertising CSPs: OMO advert, Galaxy advert, NHS Represent blood campaign.
The representation of women in the 1950s was that women were housewives and they needed a man to guide them in the world, for example in OMO the text states “actually bright” this is very patronising towards women  and emphasises that they are very childlike and need support.
However in the NHS represent campaign women are shown as equals to men and very powerful as the main character/performer is female, it also shows many powerful female figures that are CEOs for companies E.G The MOBOs. They are shown to be independent, intelligent role models.

videogames

                                  History of videogames

Watch the YouTube video outlining the history of the videogames industry from the 1970s to the 2010s. Now answer the following questions:

1) What were the first videogames like?
The first videogames were mainly in black and white and were 2D.

 2) How have videogames changed over time?
Over time video games have improved massively as now you are able to play with multiple people from around the world in certain games, also they have developed to have better graphics and most games now are 3D.

3) What do the most successful games have in common? Answer this in as much detail as you can. Think about audience pleasures - what do people like about playing videogames?
Games that have an objective or level to work towards are very successful and games that you can play with multiple people online around the world are successful as people will want to play with their friends.4) What criticisms have been made towards videogames?
That they encourage violence E.G Grand Theft Auto.


5) What is Fortnite: Battle Royale?
Fortnite is an online battle royale game where you land in a certain spot of your choosing on a map and try to survive against other people who are trying to kill you, you have one life and the aim of the game is to be the last one alive out of 100 people.6) How many Fortnite players are there worldwide?
Around 3.5 million people.7) Why is it so popular? What are the audience pleasures of the game?
The pleasure of winning a game out of 100 other people is a major reason why people play the game as they want to win and show off to their friends.8) Copy and paste two comments from 'below the line' of the Guardian article - these are comments written by Guardian readers in response to the feature. Select one comment you agree with and one you disagree with and explain why.
“A fantastic game for all the family. The violence is cartoon-like, not gratuitous or graphic.”
I agree with this comment as the game isn’t too graphic and is perfect for children to play as it does not involve a lot of gore.

“Do not let your children play this game, it’s violent and addictive and my son won’t come off it!”
I disagree with this as children should be allowed to play this but not so often that it becomes addictive, also the characters are cartoon and it does not show any blood whatsoever.