Wired.com is infatuated with Lara Croft, and they let us know why she’s back in our hearts again. It doesn’t have to do with her looks, but how men identify with her now. Beware, psychoanalyzing babble inside (although it does raise some good points.)
I beg to differ. I think young boy gamers loved Lara for reasons that were considerably stranger. They weren’t just ogling her: They were identifying with her. Playing the role of a hot, sexy woman in peril — surrounded by violence on all sides — was, unexpectedly, a totally electric experience for young guys.
I am not merely pulling this argument out of my butt. I’m basing it on a famous piece of film theory: the “Final Girl” concept of slasher movies.
I buy it. I can really identify with what he says because I’ve felt that way when playing Dead or Alive 3. I mean, sure, part of the fun was seeing them do the high kicks, but another part was “protecting” her. Ya know? Anyway, great article.
Ben Gray on 04 27th, 2006