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Published on 11/4/23 at 8:10 pm. Check out my messages. Follow Paris News
When Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak goes to Paris Games Week to meet the French gamersThe welcoming committee is diverse: seven iconic pop culture figures appear to have been brought to life thanks to cosplayers.
From the manga “Dragon Ball Z” to the video game “Final Fantasy,” examples of sources of inspiration include the practice of cosplay (a portmanteau derived from “costume play”). Make and/or wear your favorite hero’s costume from the world of comics, films, video games or series.
The ubiquity of Spider-Man
Porte de Versailles, in the aisles of France’s largest video game fair, the different versions of the Spider-Man costume are by far the most widespread after the release of the last part at the end of October. which broke a commercial record by selling more than 2.5 million copies.
This passion is about sharing our costumes and creations. We make people dream, adults and children alike.
Benjamin OunnasDisguised as Spider-Man Miles Morales
The numerous participants of the show, of which around 200,000 visitors are expected by this Sunday, November 5, 2023, are in fact many who stop the cosplayers to ask them for a souvenir photo.
“I have children who play a lot of video games, so I take photos to show them the characters,” says Bruno Leboucher. “I think there is real talent,” adds the father, who has just stopped in front of a Princess Zelda cosplay.
“Fifty hours” of preparation
While around sixty different models of wigs to complete costumes are sold on the stands of the Paris Fair, the production of clothing and accessories is often artisanal. And behind the few hours of demonstrations between the stands at Paris Games Week lie long preparations.
“This costume was done pretty quickly, it took me about fifty hours,” Kelly Bodinier, a 31-year-old nurse, told AFP, dressed like the character Elise de la Serre from the game “Assassin’s Creed.” She has a passion for sewing and period costumes and also made the belt buckle identically, using Fimo clay, a kiln-fired material.
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A global phenomenon
If costumes can be purchased from around thirty euros, their price can be reached quickly a few hundred euros. And the production by the cosplayers themselves is particularly complex in terms of materials.
Apart from these major events, cosplayers organize themselves the rest of the year in the community. Brian Calmels, 26, for example, is working on the final details of his Link costume from the game “Zelda” at the stand of the club he joined this year. It allows me to interact with other cosplayers and share my passion with them,” he smiles.
For most of those involved, this passion even turns into… lucrative activity. Imagin’Con, a pop culture events association, sometimes enters into contracts between cosplayers and professionals they want to involve, such as the release of a video game.
Compensation can also be achieved through Competitions, with significant sums at stake. Paris Games Week, which will host a competition on Sunday, promises a sum of 10,000 euros to be divided among the five winners.
A physical identification with a fictional character
This phenomenon of physical (or even psychological) identification with fictional characters, which originated in the United States in the 1980s, then spread to Japan before becoming popular around the world. Since then, this practice has become an integral part of pop culture and is on the program of all trade fairs in the genre, such as the Japan Expo.
Source: © 2023 AFP
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