In case you missed it, there was an uproar last week about the trailer for Lara Croft and a developer's comments on it and the game's story. In particular, there was something about Lara Croft facing an attempted rape in her upcoming game and players wanting to protect her. I'm not going to go through the whole clusterfrak itself when plenty of folks have already written about it, so I recommend you read this article on Eurogamer to get the basics down. The trailer itself is linked at the bottom of that article, but here's a youtube link for it if you'd prefer that or you can check it out below (apparently in an incredibly tiny video player).
Shortly after the uproar, game developer Crystal Dynamics came out with a statement 'clarifying' that "sexual assault of any kind is categorically not a theme that we cover in this game."
Which is a load of bollocks. If you've watched the trailer in question, it's pretty hard to argue that the last assault on Lara there is not sexual assault. Forcefully groping at a lady's ass while you pin them against a wall qualifies as sexual assault in my book, at least.
I can't say that I'm a huge fan of Tomb Raider. Lara Croft always felt like she was assembled by a committee to pander to horny teenagers. There's nothing wrong with being sexy, but Lara Croft pushed that way over the edge with a bust bursting at the seams. Really, I don't need to argue with anybody about this; that gaming and society have a problem with hyper-sexualising women is generally a given, and the Tomb Raider series has generally been an example of that problem. I suspect that much of this entire argument was just a publicity stunt.
But the whole debate brings up some important issues in regard to video games as an art and storytelling medium. Many community responses from across the internet suggested that attempted rape and sexual assault were subjects that should not be touched in video games. I take issue with that. Rape and sexual assault are dark and abhorrent events, but they are very real threats or even vile realities for many women across the world every day. Should they be ignored in stories?
Movies have portrayed sexual assault, as have books and comics. To propose that a storytelling medium should leave sexual assault out of its stories for the sake of pleasantness is preposterous, particularly so in video games, which are incredibly powerful at developing empathy and sympathy by experience through the player's analogue. Our greatest stories are full of darkness and evil that must be overcome. The greatest stories aren't the pleasant ones where everybody is wonderful to each other and everything turns out perfect and shiny in the end with no cost, because those stories generally aren't relevant to the world that we see every day.
Video games need to deal directly with darkness in their stories, especially considering that video games are now being used as therapy for soldiers going through PTSD. I know that I find a type of therapy in media, especially when their scenarios have a relevance to my life and crises I've gone through. Is it possible that telling a story about Lara Croft as a beaten, sexually-violated lady rising out of that low point could help actual women who have been sexually assaulted work through their own traumas? Stories exist for a purpose, and from my experience part of that purpose is to help us deal with the realities that envelope us.
Another common outrage that came out of this controversy was that the game would employ said sexual assault scene to help get players more involved and invested in the character that they were playing, in particular as her protector. This touches on a unique power of the medium, which is very direct involvement in a developing story. When you read, say, Harry Potter, you hope for the best but you don't have any control over the way Harry's story plays out. When you play a video game, you're often diving into a fantasy world through your character, which allows you that level of story control. Is it terribly sexist to employ a sexual assault scene that makes the player feel like they need to protect their character?
I am, believe it or not, a man. I will never be a woman, nor am I particularly good at putting myself into a lady's shoes. I am, without doubt, sexist, by way of living in a society full to the brim with sexism. When my character in a video game is a lady or when I'm interacting with virtual lady characters in a video game, I certainly develop a protective instinct once I've invested myself a good deal into that game. While I hope that male characters will turn out all right and I'll certainly help them, I don't have nearly that level of protective instinct. This is true in real life as well. It is certainly division by sex, and thus sexism by definition.
Is it wrong? I will certainly tell you that it's not equal. It displays clearly that I feel ladies need to be protected and men do not. There's no thinking myself out of that mindset, either: I've tried and failed. Perhaps it is a form of brokenness, perhaps not. Either way, it is very real for a great deal of men of all ages in our society, and its presence in a story is thus highly relevant... for men, at least.
I can't speak for ladies, but I'd imagine that different people of both genders would feel differently about their role as player when engaged in Lara Croft. I have no doubt that some ladies will have that protective instinct, some men will just be playing a bad-ass lady thief, and many people will experience both. Art is open to interpretation, and we each reflect ourselves upon it even as we absorb it.
And it's not as if they're only portraying the damsel-in-distress side of Lara Croft. She still seems like she'll be just as violent, acrobatic, agile, strong, and busty as ever. So anybody looking for a strong female character should still be able to find it here.
Here's a question: Is it more negatively sexist to deal with sexual assault and moments of brokenness in media or to hide them away from sight?
Have any thoughts or comments on this particular controversy or on the matter of sexism in media? Want to tear my opinion apart? Do it in the comments section and I'll be sure to respond in a timely fashion.
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