The survey we took here makes up just a small part of the paper. I encourage everyone to download the whole thing, but here's a quick breakdown of the survey results:
- According to Eidos Interactive, 70% of Tomb Raider players are male; 30% are female.
- Izzie's survey results suggest that players of both genders are aware of Lara's exaggerated feminine appearance.
- 62% of female players are annoyed by the way Lara is portrayed physically. 15% admire Lara's figure, and 23% didn't care one way or the other.
- Only 21% of male players were bothered by Lara's hyper-sexualized appearance.
- Nearly 20% of players (both male and female) made a distinction between Lara's appearance in the game and the way she was used to promote it (posters, box art, etc.), the latter being more exaggerated.
- 62% of players said they enjoyed Lara's feminine identity as much as the gameplay. (Of this 62% about half were male, half female.)
- Only 37% of players were interested in the gameplay only. (Of this 37% the breakdown was roughly 40% female and 60% male.)
"...Lara's feminine identity probably played a big role in sales, and she seems to be a good avatar people relate to and enjoy, whichever their gender.... Tomb Raider relies on a clever mix of gameplay and attractive avatar, so Eidos definitely handled a great coup, both in designs and game concept.
"Despite Lara's exaggerated appearance, she still appears as a positive role model for most women because her intelligence and strength are considered as 'good' qualities. Most women enjoy the fact that for once a female character is no longer in a weak and passive position, waiting to be saved. In fact this aspect was even enjoyed by 21% of male players."
Download the complete paper as a Word document here: Tomb-Raider-Study.doc.