Tomb Raider story is ‘informed by real life’

Responding to the controversy surrounding Tomb Raider, art director Brian Horton spoke to Edge about the game's mature content — which he says is "informed by real life."

"If it was just something that we were trying to tack on, it would be the wrong answer," he said.

Horton defended the violence, gore, and emotional tension, saying each element "serves the story and serves the character."

"Now, the fact that she is a woman is not lost on us, and that’s an important part of the dynamic of it being Tomb Raider, but it’s not our primary concern to distinguish that she is a woman," Horton said. "We are playing up the fact that she is human and believable."

"I feel like some of those players might actually evolve their perspective," he continued. "They might look at it in the beginning and say 'I’m protecting her,' but as they grow with her, become closer to her, they’d start to think 'I am her' giving them the fantasy and fulfillment of being Lara Croft."

What do you think? Are "fantasy and fulfillment" good words in regards to a suspected rape scene?

Follow @wita on Twitter for tales of superheroes, plumbers in overalls, and literary adventures.