When the Minister of Culture, Rima Abdul Malak, visited the Paris Games Week to meet French gamers, the welcoming committee was colorful: seven iconic characters from pop culture seemed to come to life thanks to the cosplayers.
From the manga “Dragon Ball Z” to the video game “Final Fantasy” as examples of inspiration, the practice of cosplay (a portmanteau derived from “costume play”) consists of making and/or wearing the costume of one’s favorite hero from the worlds of comics, films, video games, or series.
The omnipresence of Spider-Man can be seen in the Porte de Versailles, in the aisles of the largest French video game fair, where different versions of Spider-Man costumes are by far the most common, following the release of the latest instalment at the end of October, which set a commercial record with over 2.5 million copies sold.
“This passion revolves around sharing our costumes, our creations. We make people dream, both adults and children,” said Benjamin Ounnas, dressed as Spider-Man Miles Morales.
The many participants at the fair, with approximately 200,000 visitors expected until this Sunday, November 5, 2023, often stop the cosplayers to ask for a souvenir photo. “I have kids who play a lot of video games, so I take pictures to show them the characters,” said Bruno Leboucher. “There is real talent in this,” added the father, who just stopped in front of a cosplay of Princess Zelda.
While some stands at the Parisian fair sell wigs, around sixty different models, to complete the costumes, the making of clothes and accessories is often artisanal. And the few hours spent between the booths of the Paris Games Week hide a long preparation. “This costume was quite quick to make, it took me about fifty hours,” said 31-year-old nurse Kelly Bodinier, dressed as Elise de la Serre from the game “Assassin’s Creed”. Passionate about sewing and historical costumes, she also made an exact replica of the belt buckle using Fimo clay, a material that hardens when baked.
If costumes can be bought for around thirty euros, their prices can quickly reach a few hundred euros. And making them oneself can be particularly costly in terms of materials. Outside of these major events, cosplayers organize themselves as a community throughout the rest of the year. For example, 26-year-old Brian Calmels is perfecting the final details of his Link costume from the game “Zelda” at the association’s booth that he joined this year. “It allows me to exchange with other cosplayers, to share my passion with them,” he smiled.
For the most involved, this passion even becomes a lucrative activity. Imagin’Con, a pop culture events association, sometimes drafts contracts between cosplayers and professionals who wish to have them participate, for example, in the launch of a video game. Compensation can also come from competitions, with significant amounts at stake. The Paris Games Week, where a contest will be held on Sunday, promises a sum of 10,000 euros to be shared among the five winners.
Born in the United States in the 1980s, this phenomenon of physical (and sometimes psychological) identification with fictional characters then gained momentum in Japan before becoming popular worldwide. Since then, this practice has become essential to pop culture and is featured at all genre conventions, such as Japan Expo.
Source: © 2023 AFP
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