Hey, guys. I'm Steph, or Hex,
if you've happened to catch a show I host called Good Game.
As a host of Good Game,
I get to spend a lot of time with our fans.
And one thing you quickly learn
is that they love so many different things in the pop culture world.
From role-playing legendary weekend warriors,
to directing homemade Hollywood epics,
or even leaving out their rock god dreams in a tribute band.
In this series,
I'm on a mission to find out just what drives their fandom.
And to do that, I'm going to have to jump in with both feet.
To start with, I wanted to look at costume play,
or cosplay as it's known.
It's part of a pop culture that has absolutely exploded
over the past few years,
and it's more than just a hobby, it's more of a global phenomenon.
Here in Australia,
up to 100,000 people cosplay at conventions every year.
Globally, it's well into the millions,
with some even making a living from it.
Yaya Han is a professional cosplayer with a fan base of over 2 million.
It is a very young industry that is still sort of developing itself,
but now cosplay is a viable career for select people.
While it might seem new, cosplay actually dates back to 1939,
when Forrest J. Ackerman dressed up for the first
World Science Fiction Convention.
So, where better to dive into this world than at a convention?
Or a con as we call it. Thank you.
I've been coming to cons for about eight years.
And something I'm definitely noticing
is that way more people are cosplaying now.
Wow! That's incredible!
OK, so I'm going to say this is from Gandalf's summer collection.
Heck yeah. (LAUGHS)
Glamdalf the Sexy. (LAUGHS)
And you've gone the full green. Yeah.
It actually stains my face.
Does it? (LAUGHS) So...
..I'm going to be green for a week now.
People will just think you're a bit ill.
Maybe you can get off work. Yeah, yeah.
(LAUGHS) I'll try.
Adella, Jill, you guys are seasoned cosplayers.
I think if I'm really going to get into this
and really understand what it is about cosplay
that people love and makes them so passionate about it,
I'm going to have to kind of go all in,
and make a costume, and sew various components,
and enter into a competition.
And I'm really going to need your help,
because you guys are so great at it,
and I don't know a thing. So, will you help me?
Of course! Of course! Yes!
So, you have quite an amazing set-up here.
Like, this is a serious hobby for you.
So, how long do you normally spend on a costume
when you're kind of getting ready for a convention?
I would definitely recommend at least starting
the planning stage a good two months beforehand.
(MUSIC CUTS OUT)
Have you not started? No! (LAUGHS)
So, I've got two weeks! That's going to be fine!
Well, that's cosplay, yes. Oh, my gosh!
(BOTH LAUGH)
Did I mention I don't know how to sew?
(STUTTERING)
You might be in for an experience, and that's part of the fun of it.
I'm worried for you.
This is going to be a disaster.
No, it's not! You'll be fine.
(LAUGHS)
So, I definitely want to go as a character from a video game,
but my instinct is to go with Lara Croft,
but she's been done so many times.
And then, there's FemShep from the Mass Effect series,
but she has a lot of really intense armour pieces,
and I feel like for my first cosplay
I should try and choose something a little bit simpler.
After some careful consideration,
I've decided to cosplay as Ciri from The Witcher,
which is my favourite video game series.
To get me started, I've asked Jill to lend some expertise.
So. Yes.
Thank you so much for doing this, by the way.
No worries.
I took the liberty of printing out some...
..kind of, images of Ciri. Yup.
I just love her as a character, I just think she's so cool.
Awesome. That's the best place to start with cosplay.
You've got to like the character.
Yeah, yeah. Well, that's what I figured.
What sort of stuff do you think that you have
that we might be able to use for this costume?
So, I mentioned... (LAUGHS)
I bought a wig. Yes.
It hasn't arrived yet. OK.
Other than that, I pretty much...
I don't have anything. OK.
So, the thing I suppose that I'm most worried about would be the corset.
OK.
Well, that's something I can help you with.
I've made corsets before. Really?
Yes. Oh, my gosh. You're amazing.
And what about the belt?
Because this belt is quite, like, specific, it's sort of...
OK, the belt we're going to make.
Would we use that...is it Worbla for that?
Yes, I've brought stuff with me. Oh, cool.
So, this is what Worbla looks like.
That's Worbla! Yes.
That is not what I was expecting. It's weird, right?
This just looks like... It looks like a big tortilla.
I'll show you a piece of armour that I've made for my costume.
And it's craft foam underneath,
and then, I take a piece of Worbla that's a bit bigger,
and then, you heat it up over the foam,
and then, you can shape it. Right, OK.
You guys have quite an arsenal of tools to make this stuff.
Yeah, yeah. It's not just like a sewing machine.
OK, so, if I have the costume all good to go,
then, I kind of, like, I'm up on stage and I do my pose,
and that's kind of...
And your performance?
(BOTH LAUGH) What do you mean, performance?
You gotta do something when you get up on stage!
People do a performance. Yes.
Oh, my gosh. We get a little more praise,
and a lot more recognition, and a bigger shot a prize,
if you become the character on stage and do a performance.
Like, actually the thought of that is terrifying.
What would I do as Ciri? Like, yeah, a performance.
If you're doing it, both feet in, Steph.
Well, I said that I would, so I guess that's...
..that's what's happening. OK, cool.
(BOTH LAUGH)
OK, I guess I have a lot to think about.
(CROWD CHEERS)
WOMAN: Fresh from the Space Vatican, it's Futurama's very own Space Pope.
So, this is a big part of the scene as well, the competitions.
And these cosplayers have worked for months,
not only just on their costumes,
but how they're going to portray the character on stage.
Please welcome to the stage Adella Cosplay.
(CROWD CHEERS)
At the very heart of cosplay, it's about being part of a community.
So, inherently the community is very positive.
It's all about supporting each other.
We all want to learn from each other, and more often than not,
if there is someone who is very excellent at something,
you go up and ask them how they did it and they will tell you.
STEPH: With the convention date looming,
it's time to crack on and get my costume made.
(IMITATES ANGELIC CHOIR)
Just...just sewed that, no big deal.
Adella and Jill are kindly lending me their expertise
in creating my costume,
because who wants to pull an all-nighter alone?
(JILL AND ADELLA LAUGH)
That is the crown. Right, OK. (LAUGHS)
So, it goes that way. There we go.
Oh, yeah, that looks good. That looks much better.
It's quite nice to know that I'll be wearing a corset,
because I wish I could say I've been laying off the pizza
in anticipation of this event, but I have not.
It's not until you actually see a costume come together from nothing
that you realise just how much hard work
goes in to crafting every individual piece.
OK. Awesome. Perfect.
The corset is boned.
It is boned.
(LAUGHS)
I don't mean to sound so surprised, but everything is so well-finished.
Like, there's multiple layers to this fabric
and all of these little eyelets, and everything for the thread.
That's so cool.
OK, so, it is the day of the convention.
I'm just trying to get my make-up right.
And I must've woken up about three or four times last night.
I think I was just subconsciously really nervous.
The thing is, like, the character that I've chosen,
you know, I think I've got an outfit that's pretty close to hers, but...
..I mean, I don't physically look like her.
I'm about a foot shorter and about a foot wider.
(LAUGHS) You know, so...
..I mean, there's a reason why I wear oversized t-shirts every day.
Body confidence is not something that I would list under,
you know, attributes of mine.
But, you know, everyone says that the cosplay community
is super supportive and really kind...
(LAUGHS) ..and lovely, so...
..I'm really hoping that'll be the case today.
MAN: Supanova Brisbane! Are you ready to cosplay!?
(CROWD CHEERS)
The person who's about to come on stage,
this is their first time cosplaying.
Please welcome to the stage, Steph,
or as you probably better know her, Hex from Good Game!
(CROWD CHEERING)
So, out of all the characters you could've cosplayed,
why Ciri? Yeah?
Well, one of the bits of advice that you guys gave me
was to cosplay someone that you love,
and she's just really strong and independent and adventurous,
and for me, it was just...
embodied all of the qualities that I would love to embody,
so it was really cool to be able to be Ciri for a day.
You look amazing. Doesn't she look amazing?
(CROWD CHEERS)
Can you tell us a little bit about the costume?
Where did you start?
OK, so, um, I would love to say I threw this all together,
but to be honest I've had a lot of help.
Ladies and gentlemen, I want you to please
put your hands together for her first ever cosplay.
Please put your hands together for Hex!
(CHEERS)
Thank you so much, guys.
So, how does cosplay help you to be a fan?
How does it help you celebrate your fandom?
Part of the reason I love dressing up so much
is that I am such a fan of so many different things.
I obsess over almost everything that I take a liking to,
and I always feel that need to be a bigger part of it
than just someone who watches,
or just someone who plays that game.
I want to become a part of it in some way.
It gives me this sense of joy and pride in my own work,
as well as being able to be a bigger part of that fandom.
So, something I'm noticing is that not everyone
is recognising me as Hex necessarily, but recognising the character Ciri,
and just wanting a photo because the outfit's cool.
So, that's kind of awesome.
It is an art form, it is creativity, um,
and it is the most unique way to show that you're a fan of something.
Cosplay has given me a lot of confidence.
Like, ten years ago I would not have been able to sit here
and speak to you like this, you know,
with cameras in front of me.
You know, it's changed my life, and I meet people every day that tell me
how much it's changed their lives for the better.
You know, I came into this wondering why people would
spend so much time and effort to dress like a character,
and I think it's because people see something in that character,
a driving force or a strength or a quality
that they themselves want to embody.
You know, if you want to be strong or brave or outrageous in your life,
then, cosplay can give you that.
(MAN YELLING)
Next time, I spend a weekend with fans who enjoy
a little more conflict in their hobby.
This is really intense!
Whoever decided heels would be practical
adventuring attire was crazy. Ow!
Captions by Ericsson Access Services
Copyright Australian Broadcasting Corporation