Gaming is more than just playing – video games have become a culture and for some of us even a lifestyle. Cosplayers have long been part of this culture and are simply a part of conventions and gaming events. But who is the person behind the costume? Professional cosplayer Shappi has given our author Leya a look behind her mask.
Cosplayers.
We find pictures and videos of them on the internet. We see them at events and conventions. We might take a photo with them and quickly go our separate ways. The costumes are at the center, in which cosplayers portray the characters from gaming or series that we love so much.
Shappi is one of those cosplayers and has made her profession out of costumes.
I never planned to become a cosplayer. It just came to me
The young Pole is 25 years old and is currently writing her thesis for her psychology studies. In 2009, Shappi started making a few small costumes for fun and wearing them to events – that was 8 years ago.
Even back then, Shappi was a big fan of games and anime. That’s why she started specializing in these topics for her costumes. After a while, she realized that making costumes suited her well and brought her a lot of joy. Shappi’s work became larger and more elaborate, and she began creating costumes specifically for gaming conventions.
This led to her participating in competitions and getting noticed by publishers.
Shappi now works for various gaming studios and creates costumes for games like SMITE, League of Legends or The Witcher. There are always different games and characters, depending on what the client needs.
Shappi’s job is to make the costumes and wear them at events or for photoshoots and videos. Publishers book the cosplayer to wear the costumes of the characters from their games at events. This means that Shappi has to travel a lot, as the events take place all over the world. Her suitcases are always gigantic because the costumes need to be transported securely on airplanes.
At publisher events, Shappi creates a good atmosphere and tries to encourage visitors to take photos with her.
Game designers don’t think about whether a character can be implemented as a costume
Making a high-quality costume comes with various challenges. Particularly time is often a problem for Shappi as a full-time student. While Shappi loves gaming, she also enjoys making her costumes.
If she plays a lot, she has no time to work on her costumes, and if Shappi works too long on costumes, she has no time to game. She tries to play every few days to find a good balance. However, the costumes take priority.
Sometimes it takes several months for the craftswoman to complete a costume. It depends on how complex a costume is.
A problem for many cosplayers is that game designers don’t consider how well their characters can be implemented as costumes. It becomes particularly difficult when the characters have elements that float detached from the body – or when the character itself floats. In such cases, cosplayers sometimes have to get really creative to implement the costume somewhat realistically. Invisible fabrics and zippers are often the solution.
Alongside these challenges, money plays a problematic role. The costumes can cost a small fortune to make, especially when considering the labor involved.
Every cosplayer has a different approach to designing their character
Cosplayers all have different approaches to implementing a costume or character. Shappi has experienced that athletic cosplayers like to show off their bodies. They have worked hard for their appearance and enjoy enhancing it with their costumes.
However, there are also cosplayers who fully embody their character and put on a show. They may pay less attention to the quality of the costume but provide a unique performance instead.
There are even noticeable local differences in how cosplayers approach a costume. Shappi has observed that German cosplayers prefer straightforward and detailed outfits. In contrast, Brazilians require everything to be glamorous and can never have enough glitter sprinkled on their costumes.
Shappi herself loves the craftsmanship of cosplay. The events and photoshoots are more of a pleasant side matter that come with the profession. She actually doesn’t enjoy wearing the costumes herself but loves making costumes for others. Finding the right challenge in developing difficult costumes gives Shappi the real thrill.
In the photo above, Shappi is seen in her costume of Azir from League of Legends. The costume was designed by the craftswoman to challenge herself. It took months for the bird form to be completed with its elaborate armor.
This costume has been the most fun for Shappi to wear so far because no one could recognize the petite girl under it. She just acted silly in the costume and made bird sounds. Only in movement would she have been somewhat limited as Azir under the bulky costume.
We are humans – please treat us as such
Even if it is sometimes exhausting to produce the costumes, cosplay and especially inventing the costumes is Shappi’s great passion. However, there is one thing in the scene that troubles Shappi and other cosplayers.
Especially at conventions and events, it happens repeatedly that visitors grope and harass the cosplayers. When fans hug cosplayers for a photo, hands may wander to the backside. It also happens that visitors try to secretly take photos of the cosplayer’s backside or cleavage. This is a real plague in the scene for Shappi, and the community tries to protect each other from such behavior.
Shappi gets angry when younger girls and boys are affected by sexual harassment. They are usually shy and have difficulty saying “no!” Shappi also wants to encourage visitors at events to intervene when they see such behavior.
Cosplayers are humans and not sculptures or objects. They also attend events to have fun and to share joy with others through their work.
When I am old and wrinkled, I can still make costumes
Shappi wants to make costumes for the rest of her life because that is her passion. Luckily, she is much more into the craftsmanship than playing the role of young and sexy characters.
Even when she is old and wrinkled, she can still make costumes for others. However, Shappi can also imagine cosplaying the older characters later on, which she also finds very exciting.
Her dream would be to stroll through gaming conventions with her future children and grandchildren – of course in costumes made by Shappi.
It is amazing what some cosplayers can create as costumes:
- This incredible Aksis cosplay has thrilled the Destiny community
- The most beautiful cosplays from BlizzCon 2016
All photos in this article are from Shappi’s official Twitter “Shappi Workshop” and are the property of the cosplayer.
