Women's representation in digital games: In Tomb Raider an investigation on Lara Croft character

With the increase in the use of computers in the home environment, digital games have become as popular as traditional games and have become a remarkable leisure activity. Digital games have been very successful in influencing and manipulating the masses. Digital games are surrounded by cultural codes that ensure the continuity of the patriarchal structure in terms of their content. In this respect, digital games have become one of the communication environments where gender stereotypes are reproduced. In this study, it is aimed to answer the questions about how gender roles are constructed through female characters, what images the female characters are equipped with, and the positioning of female characters. In the study, character analysis was made with the existential feminist theory on the visual indicators. In the play that is the subject of the study, even if the objectification of the female character is occasionally taken to the background, it is controversial whether the character is in the subject position or not. The depiction of the female character with male images has become questionable about the existence of women on the playground. This study focuses on how female characters are portrayed in digital games, which gender stereotypes are used and whether the female protagonist is a subject like a male protagonist. In addition, the study progressed by shedding light on how women were positioned throughout history in order to examine the subject of the female protagonist.