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Click to viewJesus fucking Christ.
A while back, maybe a year or so ago, I read a Game Informer article on the new Tomb Raider, and I was skeeved beyond words at the loving descriptions of all the horrendous things young Lara would have to go through on her first adventure. At the time I thought maybe I was being too sensitive. Maybe I was reading too much into things. Maybe the actual game wouldn't be that way, and the writer was just exaggerating for effect?
Nope.
It looks like my gut instinct was right. It honestly feels to me like they're fetishizing all the traumatic and brutal things she's going through. Did you see the sheer amount of fuckawful stuff that happens to her? The bear trap? Getting lit on fire right out of the starting line? The way that man pulls a gun on her and molests her? Fuck yeah, I sure want to play "get a gun pulled on me so a man can molest me" simulator. Just like I wanted to play "get a gun pulled on me so a man can force me to striptease" and "get a sword pulled on me so a man can try to rape me" simulators.
Everything in this trailer bears the message of: "Hey, look at all the terrible things happening to this beautiful woman! Doesn't this make you want to play?"
Look. I don't mind characters being traumatized or covered in blood or getting beat up or whatever. I play Dead Space. I love Call of Cthulhu and Delta Green. I read The Dresden Files, and let me tell you, everything terrible that could possibly happen to Harry Dresden has and will continue to do so. Hell, OUTSIDE HELP is my favorite EverymanHYBRID episode. I read Homestuck for chrissake. But there has to be a point beyond just being traumatized, covered in blood, and getting beat up! That can't be the only fucking thing going on! There has to be a point where you look at your life, look at your choices, and look at your trailer for your intense survival-action game starring a female character and realize that it's just a neverending parade of sexualizing a young woman's fear and suffering and that you're being more than a little misogynistic.
You know, when people wanted to know how Indiana Jones got his start, people made television show prequels about him meeting famous historical figures and solving crimes and shit.
ARE PEOPLE HONESTLY OKAY WITH THIS? I CAN'T BE THE ONLY PERSON WHO'S NOT OKAY WITH THIS.
I'm really digging Lara's redesign, though. Damn girl, you are looking fine.