Why I Love to Cosplay as Lara Croft

First off let me clarify that I do not love every version of Lara Croft and there have been many. I have always been intrigued by her character, in fact the first game I ever played on Playstation was Tomb Raider. However my love didn’t really take hold until I played Tomb Raider by Crystal Dynamics (2013). There was just something about meeting a young adventure hungry Lara Croft who had not yet fully come into her own. This is the Lara Croft that I love to embody. After reading the Dark Horse Tomb Raider comics written by Gail Simone that followed the game I was in hook, line and sinker. They developed such a rich character and story line that I absolutely have fallen in love with her.

 

When choosing a character to cosplay I tend to go for characters that I feel a genuine connection to. I don’t get to go around in my daily life shooting arrows, leaping from cliffs and fighting off packs of wolves but I love getting to embody a character who does. I feel such a kinship to those really powerful female characters who still maintain their femininity while kicking ass. As a result I do not cosplay often, but when I do it comes from a desire of wanting to really become a that character. As most cosplayers know, the amount of time and money that goes into cosplay is extensive, so it is important to really have a connection with the character you have chosen.

The young reboot Lara Croft is just beginning to figure out who she is and where she is going in her life. She has discovered this really powerful side of her that she is sometimes afraid to tap into. She fiercely loves the people in her life and will go to the moon and back for them. She is highly intelligent but sometimes makes decisions with her emotions that gets her into trouble. I really hope that Rise of the Tomb Raider is just as good as or better than Tomb Raider (2013) for Lara’s character.

I look forward to cosplaying as her again soon. I first debuted Lara Croft at PAX Prime 2014 and it was a lot of fun. Getting to run around all dirty and bloodied with some badass weapons was so much fun. PAX Prime 2015 is just around the corner and I have some upgrades to make before I am ready to cosplay as Lara Croft again.