Archaeology of Tomb Raider: In the Spotlight: Sarah
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
| Interviews by Fans | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Archaeology of Tomb Raider: In the Spotlight: Sarah |
| Interviewer: | |
| Interviewee: | Sarah |
| Date(s): | February 28, 2014 |
| Medium: | online |
| Fandom(s): | Tomb Raider |
| External Links: | online here |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Archaeology of Tomb Raider: In the Spotlight: Sarah was conducted in 2014.
Some Excerpts
When and how did you learn about the Tomb Raider series?
The year was 1998 and I was visiting a friend who asked if I’d like a go on her Playstation, but the only games she had were Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider II. Despite owning a Playstation, I hadn’t actually played any of the games so I fired up the first one and thought it was the best thing in the world. I was eleven years old and I shot a freaking bear with twin pistols!
How has Tomb Raider changed your life?
Tomb Raider was the first game that presented me with a strong female role model who could take care of herself. I had a short graphic novel that documented Lara’s backstory and the events leading up to the first game and I literally read it until it fell apart (I still have it somewhere though). As I was in a situation that I desperately wanted to escape myself, I took great comfort from Lara’s rebellion against her lifestyle when until that point most women in video games had been quite submissive and passive.
What are your thoughts on Lara’s image? Is she simply the product of a sexist gaming industry or can she be seen as a positive role model?
I very much think she’s a positive role model and, of course, when I first started playing the games, I was too young to think about her in the context of sexism. She was just a hero who happened to be a woman. These days, I get annoyed when she is shown to be ‘male fantasy fulfilment’ because Lara is an intelligent woman who, in the context of the games, uses that intelligence rather than flaunting her assets to get what she wants.
It annoys me that she is so easily dismissed by so many because of her looks, as though an attractive woman couldn’t possibly achieve anything off her own back. But I think by far, the most important positive part of Lara is that she relies on her friends to help out. So often female characters are made so “strong” and “independent” that they become completely flawless and don’t need any one else to get by, which I feel is actually detrimental to a character’s development.