Speaking at the Edinburgh Interactive Festival, veteran Ian Livingstone has said the games industry needs more icons of the order if it is to compete with movies, TV and comics.

Livingstone, presently acquisitions director at Eidos, explained that characters like Lara enable games to cross-over into mainstream consciousness, embracing other mediums and products. Using slides in his speech, the executive compared traditional heroes like and Fred Flintstone with game figures like Gordon Freeman and - the audience still finding it easier to identify the 'mainstream' characters.

He then went on to explain how Eidos are working hard to create compelling characters, with Hitman's Agent 47 and with upcoming feast Kane and Lynch: Dead Men. Names are also key, according to Livingstone - "With a name like 'Darth Vader,' you know he's not going to be nice. Now 'Jar Jar Binks,' he's going to be much more fun."

Apparently, Lara Croft began life as Lara Cruz, before the developers picked a "posh, British" name from the phonebook. Catch phrases will also help identify characters, according to Livingstone, demanding developers find iconic lines like "You talkin' to me?" and "Hasta la vista, baby."

More soon.

By Luke Guttridge