Imagine your favorite character from any show, movie, or book. Think about him or her carefully. Now imagine this character, live and in person right in front of you. “Impossible!” you may say. However, in the world of cosplay, these characters really do come alive.

You know more about cosplay than you might think. Some synonyms for cosplay may be “dress up” or “Halloween costumes.” You’re not completely wrong if you say these things; however, to the cosplay community, it’s more than dressing up. Cosplay is when someone dresses up and acts like a certain character from a comic book, movie, tv show, etc.

Now, you may be wondering, “Why the heck would people dress up as someone else outside of Halloween?” The answer is simple, really: Conventions.

Yes, those conventions: comic book, anime, and video game conventions. Before you make fun of dorks (and I count myself as a member of that category) many of those “dorks” put a lot of time and effort into creating their costumes and practicing their acting skills. The most talented cosplayers can even leverage their skills into a career, either in the costume/prop business for film or theater, or even as professional cosplayers (although that is extremely rare).

I was in middle school when I first cosplayed with my friends. I put on clothes I already owned and claimed to be a “cosplayer.” Almost everyone starts this way. Eventually my friends and I started to take trips to thrift shops to find pieces that we can alter. Eventually, I even started to craft and sew my own costumes. One of my good friend even learned how to make some legitimate props out of paper mache and paper clay.

I can still hear you asking, “Why do people put so much time, money, and energy into cosplay?” The simplest answer I can give is because cosplayers love it.

Cosplayers want to show off their creative costume/prop making abilities. Not everyone is as talented as some of these cosplayer artists. We also flex our acting muscles. We chose a certain character for a reason, and we commit to that character wholeheartedly. If you were to go up to a Batman cosplayer, chances are he’d speak to you in the authentic, raspy voice we all heard in "The Dark Knight." Not to mention, there are even opportunities to earn money at conventions for cosplay.

Cosplayers have a genuine love for the characters: their personalities, their back stories, and, of course, their outfits.

From personal experience, cosplay has taught me values of dedication, craftsmanship and creativity. In other ways, I gained a community of supportive friends I wouldn’t have met otherwise.

Cosplay is a hobby that allows people lose themselves in their character by essentially “being them” for a day. Stepping into the shoes of other people/ characters makes a fantastic hobby.