10 Progressive Characters Who Prove Video Games Aren't Bigoted

9. Lara Croft - Tomb Raider

One of the most recognisable characters of all time, Lara Croft cemented her place in gaming history the moment Tomb Raider landed on the PS1. Created as a female Indiana Jones, she was strong, smart, athletic and fearless - exactly the type of character needed to showcase the capabilities of the new generation of consoles, steering the design of many action adventure games to follow. Lara has undergone some dramatic changes over the years and met some fairly hefty criticism, often due to her body being portrayed as unrealistic and over sexualised, pandering to the male teen market. But as audiences changed so too did Lara, as she went through a series of redesigns, the first in 2006 after the Tomb Raider series popularity waned, but the more noticeable change in the 2013 reboot. With shifting attitudes in the game industry it seemed the old Lara no longer represented much of their core demographic and so big changes were put into place and a massive marketing campaign, revealing an almost unrecognisable, new improved, Lara Croft. Aimed at a new generation of gamers, with a complete overhaul in design she held onto many of her stronger personality traits, but was given an entire new body design and a vulnerability and desperation that made her feel more human than ever, ensuring Lara was once again a strong role model for young gamers.