“Cosplay” is a contraction of the words “costume” and “play.” This term refers to the act of adopting the role of a character with the help of wearing a costume. In North America, “cosplay” most commonly refers to the adornment of a costume to role-play as an anime or manga character. Anime and manga characters come from Japanese media and can refer to the people or creatures portrayed in Japanese video games or comic books. However, the growing esteem for Western science fiction and fantasy characters has lead to many adopting the personas of non-Japanese characters. Cosplaying as people from the Harry Potter and Matrix series are particularly popular. If one simply wears the outfit of a character to closely resemble their appearance without adopting the behavior patterns of that character, then this is referred to as “basic cosplay.” When one adorns the costume and also adopts the persona of a character, then one is enacting a “masquerade” type of cosplay. There are many conventions across Asia and North America where people engage in cosplay. Comket is perhaps the most popular convention for coplayers. This is the world’s largest comic convention and takes place twice a year in Tokyo.
Since cosplaying is rooted in the goal of appearing exactly like a specific character, costume construction is of utmost importance. Every minute detail of a costume must be true to the appearance of the character one chooses to portray. Many designers have come forward with costumes to sell for specific cosplay use. The Internet also has an abundance of tutorials on how to construct an impressive cosplay costume. Through the adoption of an elaborate costume and with believable acting skills, one can gain fame and recognition for successful cosplaying. Ginny McQueen is a cosplayer who enjoys international fame. She has appeared on MTV and many cosplay websites, resulting in her ability to make a profession through cosplaying.