The Girl Who Never Cried: On Lara Croft's feelings
“Fans of the series still prefer Lara as the ice queen who controls like a tank” - Andrew Dovichi, Senior Level designer of Tomb Raider (2013). Tweet from 14 September 2014.
I recently became aware of this contemptuous remark -disrespectful with TR classics but, above all, disrespectful with its fans- which was stated by one of the reboot’s developers in answer to a flattery, when someone asked how fans of the series couldn’t understand the solidity of their work. I won’t talk here about the “tank controls”, I’m not an expert in videogame engines nor in gameplay, I’m not even a good gamer. I just can say those “tank controls” where up to their time and must be judged in their context.
What baffles me is the consideration of Lara Croft as an “ice queen”, I guess, as a character without feelings, not relatable, heartless, even soulless. And presenting the new “Lara” (I’ll call her Laraboot for obvious reasons) as the opposite and a more desirable option. Again: the Manichaean duality. Good and Evil. Correct and Wrong. And I’m here to question that simplicity, again.
Continua a leggere
If you have a moment and you’re a Tomb Raider Fan, check it out. This post is amazing.