Full confession:
The classic Tomb Raider games will always hold a special place in my heart. I first discovered the Tomb Raider series via a playstaion demo disc in the summer of 1998. I was nine years old at the time and my mind was blown because I had never experienced a fully 3D game such as Tomb Raider and at the time only played games like Super Mario World or Sonic the Hedgehog. I have ADHD and as a kid I was always running, exploring, and jumping off of the bleachers and climbing on the rocks around my house and seeing Lara Croft doing all that stuff made me relate to her and also the fact that she was brave and didn’t take anyone’s crap was a plus. I was also in awe that Lara was an adult and wasn’t married which left It was at this time that I started taking in interest in creative writing and began writing about Lara, her younger teenage sister Tara who whined and cried because she had to stay with her sister over the summer, that dressed like Britney Spears and then went goth (I just discovered the goth scene and decided to make her goth), Tara’s Mary Sue friend Tina whom Lara seemed to favor more and Lara’s toddler daughter Jade (Later changed to Jasmine). I loved Lara so much that I went as her for Halloween and froze my ass off, I would often drive my classmates and my relatives crazy with my Tomb Raider obsession to the point where my mom would threaten to take away my Tomb Raider games if I didn’t shut up. Lara even inspired me to take an interest in ancient history and is probably the main factor in my love for abandonedograpy. I also have bipolar depression and became severely depressed when I was 12 and during this time of feeling abandoned by my peers I turned to Lara Croft and was able to forget my problems at school. Even though I enjoy Crystal Dynamics Tomb Raider quite a bit I will always have a soft spot for Core Tomb Raider for inspiring me and helping me through difficult times.