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Episode 255: Lara Croft and the Growing Influence of Gaming in Entertainment

LISTEN TO THE PLUGGED IN SHOW, EPISODE 255

Lara Croft has packed a lot into her 28 years. Born as the gun-toting protagonist in the revolutionary video game Tomb Raider, Croft has migrated into comics, movies and now heads her very own Netflix show, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft. So influential is she that her very own Wikipedia page is nearly 15,000 words long.

Clearly, Croft has raided more than tombs: She’s raided the world of pop culture as well.

But she’s not alone. Games and game characters have done a nice collective side hustle by moonlighting in movies, shows and sometimes even hit songs. (See last year’s hit “Peaches” from The Super Mario Bros. Movie.) And given that the gaming world is far more lucrative than movies, its influence will likely only grow.

This week, I sit down with Emily Tsiao, who reviewed the new Netflix show, and Bob Hoose, who has reviewed his fair share of video games, to talk about Croft, gaming and just why video games are such a fertile land in the world of entertainment and pop culture. It’s a great conversation, and we have a great time talking. I hope you’ll have a great time listening, too.

And then, if you want to make the talk even more great, share your own thoughts. Are you a gamer? What are your favorite games? Or do you look at gaming’s influence and scratch your head in confusion? Planning to watch The Legend of Lara Croft? Tell to us in the comment section below. Or write to us on Facebook or Instagram. Leave us a voicemail at our Plugged In Show homepage, or write us an email at [email protected].

And be sure to join us next week when we talk about AI and adolescence, and we unpack Agatha All Along. That’s right, it’ll be truly an A-level conversation. Join us.

paul-asay
Paul Asay

Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.

One Response

  1. As a gamer, Tomb Raider has never appealed to me but it’s interesting to see how it became a phenomenon back in the day and how it influenced later games like Uncharted. Really strange to me that they decided to make the recent games rated M, but I guess they’re targeting more of an adult audience now.

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