I originally posted this blog in ButtonSmashing back in march but the Q&A with Ian Livingstone made me want to repost it.

Lara Croft was not the first sexy videogame protagonist but it is arguable that she was definitely the most mammorable. Even in its glaring archaic form, characters like this did achieve their desired effect.

Since Eidos is about to release another game in the series it seemed only fit that I begin this blog with an ode to Lara Croft. How much she has grown..... It garnered attention and sales numbers. You might say it got bad attention, but in the videogame universe, bad attention can be good attention. Games like Bloodrayne seemed to really bloodsuck the life out of that exploitation. Is all this really necessary? Take the fighting game series Dead or Alive for example. It's a fun game, it has great controls and a fantastic turnover mechanic that keeps you guessing at the victor. In the Street Fighter / Virtua Fighter world Tecmo needed to bring something new to the table. Well, a couple of new things....

That they did. So much so that they have now become known for their exaggerated bounciness. Ninja Gaiden, developed by the same group had it's share of boobage. Both great games in their own right, but is all the sexiness necessary?

The reason I bring this up is because I am a fan of fighting games. I am a fan of technology. So when I see a new game or console system with fantastic graphical capabilities, I'm going to want to see something pretty to look at. There is only so much blood and gore a guy can take. I mean if you're going to make a fighting character, why make it ugly unless it suits the character?

If movie studios could guarantee that every frame in every scene in every movie they make will be beautiful and a work of art, believe me, they would! As game developers it is their painstaking job to craft each and every tiny little pixel you see on the screen and every sound you hear. Why not make them nice to look at?

One of the individuals involved in the decision making process for the development of the Lara Croft character summed it up well. He said something along the lines of, "Since you're going to spend a majority of the game time staring at the character's bum, might as well make it a nice one."

But how much is too much? Beauty can not be a game's saving grace. A wrestling game titled Rumble Roses XX will be coming out soon for the XBox 360 and from the preview videos I have seen doesn't look as fun or easy to pick up and play as the Dead or Alive series. The characters, although composed of entirely vuluptuous characters like the pictured naughty little mink* above, move awkward and robotically. I predict this game will not be a great hit. How bad can it get? The creators of the games Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden created a game with only the girl characters where they spend their time on the beach sunbathing and playing volleyball. The objective is to collect trinkets and items and make friends. You can buy accessories like nail polish, headwear and this barely there "bathing suit."

The Verdict?

Videogames are entering mainstream media and sex is what will lead people here. Just like sex was a major factor in the success of motion pictures. Just like sex was a major factor in the colonization of the America's. And as uncomfortable as it makes us feel when we're playing a great game and a big breasted character makes her gratuitous obligatory bow, it's here to stay.

(A quote from Ian Livingstone, Eidos' product acquisition director regarding Lara Croft's continued popularity. "When they first came out, games were bought by children, but they (the children) didn't stop playing games when they got older. What would a teenager rather look at? A hedgehog, a plumber, or Lara Croft's butt?")

*American Idol reference, not a typo.