The girl who raided tombs and had crazy adventures

She has been largely criticised as a cyberbimbo, but Lara Croft has also been described as 3D gaming’s first female superstar 

Thirty years ago, in October, Lara Croft made her appearance in the predominantly male world of video gaming, with Tomb Raider, created by Toby Gard at Core Design. At that time, hardware was moving from 2D sprites to 3D polygons, and developers were exploring the dimensions of virtual space. Lara Croft was a British aristocrat, archaeologist, and adventurer, with a long braid, tiny shorts, tight tank top, and two pistols strapped to her thigh. With a figure that was male fantasy and would render a real woman impossible to function in the wilderness, she was an instant success and the most recognisable female action hero of her time.

Five years later, Angela Jolie played her in the movie adaptation, Lara Croft Tomb Raider, a sequel in 2003, and then Alicia Vikander played her in the 2018 reboot.

Across nearly three decades, Lara Croft has evolved across multiple video game generations and been a subject of academic debate about gender, power, and representation in interactive media—the term ‘male gaze’ would definitely apply to the busty archaeologist.

The original 1996 Tomb Raider was a landmark achievement in game design. Built around grid-based movement and complex environmental puzzles, the game asked players to navigate cavernous ancient ruins, avoid treacherous traps, and defeat dangerous fauna, like Lara Croft did. Unlike the muscular action heroes or cartoon animals in games of the time, Lara Croft was athletic, smart, brave, and capable of dealing with anything that was thrown at her.

The original games—Tomb Raider (1996), Tomb Raider II (1997), Tomb Raider III (1998), The Last Revelation (1999), and Chronicles (2000)—established the popular format. Lara travelled from the tombs of Egypt and Peru to the canals of Venice and the depths of the Pacific, driven by a passion for archaeology and ancient mysteries rather than romantic interest or rescue missions.

With changing times, the games and the character had to be updated too. Crystal Studios took over the franchise and updated Lara Croft in look and content. The resulting trilogy—Tomb Raider: Legend (2006), Tomb Raider: Anniversary (2007), and Tomb Raider: Underworld (2008)—re-imagined Lara’s backstory, the mystery of her mother’s disappearance and her father’s doomed archaeological quest.

By the early 2010s, tastes had changed again, and a completely new reboot (out shorts, in cargo pants) of the franchise was written by Rhianna Pratchett in 2013. The Survivor Trilogy—comprising Tomb Raider (2013), Rise of the Tomb Raider (2015), and Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018)—altered the myth of the invincible Lara Croft and reintroduced her as a recent college graduate on her first expedition aboard the ship, Endurance. Shipwrecked on the mysterious island of Yamatai, Lara had to transform from a vulnerable young researcher into a tough survivor.

According to a comment on the new-look Lara, “The gameplay shifted toward resource gathering, bow-and-arrow combat, and cover-based firefights, complemented by open-ended exploration and subterranean tomb puzzles. By focusing on her physical trauma, fear, and ultimate resilience, the Survivor Trilogy provided Lara with a psychological depth previously absent from the series, re-establishing her as a modern action heroine for a new generation of players.”

Video games have been a source of inspiration for Hollywood, and the Lara Croft character was cinematic enough to attract the big studios. Paramount Pictures acquired the film rights to Tomb Raider and cast Angelina Jolie, an actress who had recently won an Academy Award for Girl, Interrupted (1999). Directed by Simon West, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) used the stylised, larger-than-life tone of the video games. The narrative revolved around ancient secrets, magical artefacts (the Triangle of Light), and globe-trotting set pieces featuring secret societies like the Illuminati. The first movie was shot amidst the ruins of the Angkor Wat temples in Cambodia; the temple complex where it was filmed is now a tourist attraction, known as the Lara Croft temple. Angelina Jolie is also the local hero because of her humanitarian work in the country and her adoption of a Cambodian child.

The film was a huge box-office hit, proving that a female-led action film based on a video game could work globally. Years later, the film series was also rebooted, like the 2013 Survivor video game. Directed by Norwegian filmmaker Roar Uthaug, the 2018 film starred another Academy Award-winner, Alicia Vikander, as Lara Croft. The film dropped the invincibility of the character and recreated her as a bike courier in London, struggling to pay rent while refusing to accept her missing father’s vast inheritance. When she uncovers clues regarding his final expedition to the island of Yamatai, she embarks on a dangerous journey to discover the truth behind the mythical Queen Himiko.

Lydia McInnes, writing in pitjournal.unc.edu, comments, “Ever since the beginning of her crypt-hunting career, tomb raider Lara Croft has been both a figure of female empowerment and an objectified sex symbol meant entirely for the male gaze. However problematic she may be, Lara is also an example of ideal female representation and how future gamers, designers, and programmers can start to change the traditionally male-dominated industry. A lot of problematic aspects of videogame culture can and should be addressed in order to facilitate female growth and empowerment. While many feminist scholars and academics believe the stereotypes and language surrounding today’s games are the most pressing issue facing female gamers and designers today,

I will argue that it is actually the content of the games themselves that must be addressed first. Using Lara Croft as both a case study and an example in favour of changing gaming content before all else, I will prove that, despite the difficulties facing female gamers, designers, and programmers in today’s industry, change is possible. Not only is it possible, it is necessary: to improve the reputation of industry giants whose games have disparaged women for years, to show the growing female demographic that their insight is appreciated and their influence is welcome, and to show industry leaders and traditional player demographics that video games don’t need to be misogynistic to be successful in the industry.”

She has been criticised as a cyberbimbo, but Lara Croft has also been described as 3D gaming’s first female superstar and holds a Guinness World Record as the most recognised female video game character. Thirty years later, her place in the pantheon of female pop culture icons cannot be denied.