"The choice of female characters and actions within games leaves women with few realistic, non-sexualized options", while female characters, like Lara Croft, are but illusions of female empowerment, and instead serve only to satisfy the gaze of men.
The author is expressing a critical view on how female characters are portrayed in video games, suggesting they often fall into tropes or serve as mere objects for male gaze rather than being presented as complex and empowered individuals. The passage uses the example of Lara Croft to highlight this issue.