An exploration of Lara Croft: the good, the bad, and the ugly

"In this paper, I explore the character Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider game and affiliated film series through the lens of several feminist theories. The interpretation of Croft by the game's player as either a positive or a negative role model is challenging and presents an opportunity to participate in a continuing debate concerning the expected social behaviours of gender. While my focus will be on feminist theories, I also include an exploration of George Herbert Mead's play stage and its relevance to the reception of video games by their audiences. I will use Laura Mulvey's concept of the male gaze, Judith Butler's thesis of gender as a performance, as well as Donna Haraway's concept of the cyborg to answer the question of whether Lara Croft is a benefit or detriment to the progression of women in the video game industry" -- From the introduction.