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, a tight tank top and two pistols strapped to her thighs. With a figure that was a male fantasy and would render a real woman incapable of functioning in the wilderness, she was an instant success and the most recognisable female action hero of her time.

Five years later, Angelina Jolie played her in the film adaptation, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, followed by a sequel in 2003. Alicia Vikander played her in the 2018 reboot.

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

A Landmark in Video Game Design

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, as 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........

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