The Archaeology of Tomb Raider is kicking off a new round of fan interviews with this interview with Plexippus, one of my favourite Twitch broadcasters. Let’s hear what he has to say about the Tomb Raider franchise and its leading lady.

PlexippusSo, tell us a little about yourself.

I’m a new broadcaster on Twitch.tv and go by the handle Plexippus. I was born in 1987 and I have Mahatma Gandhi’s telephone number. I’ve been streaming since October 2014 and was inspired to start broadcasting when a fellow Twitch broadcaster made over $30,000 for charity…in the space of a week!

Other than Twitch, I’m a huge sports fan and I follow Sheffield Wednesday very closely. I also love spending time with my fiancé and our friends, usually in the pub or restaurants. I’m a teacher by trade and I teach various IT/computing/digital media courses to students aged 12-18. They are all absolutely ace!

My dream is to build the broadcast enough so that I can use it as a serious fundraising venture. As a childhood survivor of leukaemia, this dream is something I am determined to realize. So please come on over to my Twitch channel and help in any way you can, financial or non-financial!

 When and how did you learn about the Tomb Raider series?

The first Sony console I owned was the original PlayStation. I received this is a present when I was 10 years old (around 1996) and it came packaged with Tomb Raider I. I was instantly awestruck. The 3D awesomeness was epic and the T-Rex..! My brother (who was 8 at the time) and both our parents also loved the game and we would play it as a family. My brother and I would use our superior youthful dexterity while our parents would help solve the puzzles. It went on like that until Tomb Raider Underworld. Despite the fact my brother and I have both since moved out, Tomb Raider was always the catalyst for bringing us all back together. My sister is 9 years younger than me and her first word was “No”, spoken in the same tone as Lara uses when she doesn’t have the correct object to fit in a lock.

Do you run a Tomb Raider fansite or blog? If so, what would you say was your biggest achievement to date?

If you count my channel, twitch.tv/plexippus, my biggest achievement is the playthrough marathon of all the Tomb Raider games live on the broadcast (not quite finished at the time of writing). I’m honoured to have met many interesting people along the way, The Plexihood, (including Kelly) and it’s been a fantastic journey.

How has Tomb Raider changed your life?

Tomb Raider has taught me to never give up. When I was young, I spent days and days stuck in the Nevada levels before eventually figuring it out. All the early Tomb Raiders were like that and it taught me to be tenacious.

Were you interested in archaeology before discovering Tomb Raider? Have the Tomb Raider games and films inspired you to learn more about ancient history?

I consider myself to be a worldly individual and I’m always on the hunt for more knowledge. I’ve got to be honest here, I don’t have an overly strong interest in archaeology so maybe this fan site will put that right.

What are your thoughts on Lara’s image? Is she simply the product of a sexist gaming industry or can she be seen as a positive role model?

Both! Her look is very typical of the sort of image the media try to create as being “normal” but the character herself is very strong-willed and her gender has forced the industry to think about the lead role women should have in gaming narrative.

What’s your favourite Tomb Raider game?

Tomb Raider IV.

And your least favourite game?

Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness.

Classic, Legend-Anniversary-Underworld or Reboot Lara?

Legend-Anniversary-Underworld. I like the updated graphics, she feels very powerful and dangerous, and is the perfect avatar to have at the end of your gaming thumb tips.

Do you have any favourite Tomb Raider moments or quotes?

“Hé vous!” in the Louvre levels (AoD) when challenged by security. It’s gone down in Plexihood folklore.

What about least favourite moments? Is there anything you dislike about the games/films/comics?

I always see the good in everything so I’d have to say no. I wish the games were easier to run in windowed mode for us broadcasters though! I also hated controlling Kurtis in AoD. Give me back my Lara!

If you could change one thing about the Tomb Raider franchise, what would you change?

It’s perfect the way it is!

Which places would you like to see Lara explore in future games?

Sheffield in the UK. It’s rich in culture, it’s diverse, it’s surrounded by 7 ancient Elvish mines, it’s ruled by an evil warlord who needs over throwing by a heroine, and it’s always sunny!

Finally, if you could join Lara on one of her adventures, where would you go?

Egypt. Where else? 🙂

A huge thanks to Plexippus for taking part in our series of fan interviews. If you haven’t already followed him on Twitch, I suggest you do so right now so that you too can become part of the awesome Plexihood. You can also find Plex over on Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube.

If you enjoyed this interview and want to read others like it, you can find an archive of all our fan interviews over here.

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