Many probably have not heard such a thing as “cosplay”, however, those who at least once dressed up as Santa Claus, or chose some kind of frightening mask for Halloween or took part in a costume party, can be classified as a kind of cosplayer, although with enough tension.
The life of a cosplayer is a kind of cross-section of how the Web works, and cosplay has existed before, but it was video games that allowed this phenomenon to become mainstream. To begin with, we should consider the economic issue of the life of a cosplayer, as a result of which it turns out that there is practically no income, as such, although in the potential – income can be quite decent.
Main ways to make money as a cosplayer
Model contracts
In order to take advantage of this way of earning, you need to create an image so amazing that potential sponsors choose it as a kind of physical embodiment of a fictional character, but only a few succeed.
Content implementation and donation method
In this case, the cosplayer needs to gather a community of fans around him who will like the image, level of training, or appearance, which, from the point of view of building a business model, is nothing more than creating a personal personal brand, followed by monetization.
The main problem with this way of earning is that after seven or eight years the actual depreciation of the main asset occurs, and therefore there is an urgent need to diversify the business.
It is noted that in relation to the category of ordinary cosplay, about a hundred people have more than a hundred subscribers, while about two hundred people earn more than five hundred dollars a month. As for the category of adult cosplay, there is already a slightly different alignment, and earnings can be five or even more times higher.
Merch sale
The sale of handmade souvenirs is especially in demand in Japan, but in this case there is a rather acute issue regarding licenses, since almost every game character has an owner who himself is not averse to making money on merchandise.
Participation in festivals
This method practically does not bring real money, but it allows you to make a number of trips around the world that are shareware.
Crafting method
Due to the fact that many cosplayers are independently engaged in the manufacture of costumes, as well as accessories, then at a cost of fifty thousand rubles, the sale price can reach two hundred or three hundred thousand rubles, or even more. Particularly popular in Russia are robotic arms made of plastic, as well as craft for Fallout.
Other ways to monetize. In this case, we mean the community, which is the main asset of the cosplayer, and there are two main approaches to such income, such as creating a community directly around the product, or creating a community and then searching for a product for it.
Given the fact that the cosplayer is usually remembered by images, it is far from certain that they will all eventually form into a single person. Often, fans do not define the cosplayer as a person, and the positive side comes a little later, as a result of which some have to experience all the negativity of representatives of the general society, up to the fact that they have to change phone numbers, and sometimes their place of residence.
Why cosplay at all
We can say that all this is a kind of hobby, and if we turn to the history of games, then the most ancient are the subspecies of the theater, while in relation to the basic mechanics – the game of dressing up. A lot of people just like to impersonate another character, which probably allows you to touch deep roots.
The main point of the game is to do what you couldn’t afford to be in your own image, and then just blame everything on a particular character.
Good and bad cosplayer
The main difference lies in the number of possible contacts and the size of the community, however, such a metric belongs to the KPI category, that is, it allows you to measure the result in hindsight, but is completely useless from a tactical point of view. It can be said that cosplayers provide game developers with a clear access to the audience, and bypassing numerous filters, which is of particular value as an advertisement.
As for the possibility of a set of contacts, in this case it is necessary to get into the image, that is, to ensure the most complete recreation in the form of both a costume and an image, as well as make-up, however, it is imperative to ensure the most interesting photo shoots, depicting the emotions of the corresponding character, at the same time being human.
Particular attention should be paid to the quality of the costume, as well as its detailing, as well as the ability to choose the right look, given the fact that it can take several months to make one costume. In addition, it is essential to learn how to use the Web’s promotional capabilities and understand where and when to post information, as well as to have a clear understanding of the nature of its dissemination.
Costume preparation and travel
Due to the volume of the suits, for trips you will need several fairly voluminous suitcases, and in addition to the main luggage.
Of particular difficulty is the transportation of such costume elements as a sword or a machine gun, since at airports you have to demonstrate all this and answer a number of questions, given the fact that cosplayers do not fall under the category of reenactors, and are not Cossacks. In addition, quite often there are situations when you have to go to the festival in full gear, and through the whole city, in order to save yourself from having to change clothes in the toilet.
Related disciplines
Participants in field role-playing games cannot be called cosplayers, because in this case, despite all the thoroughness of the costume design, the process of the game itself, and not the demonstration of the character, comes first.
Under the classic cosplay, it is customary to understand the reconstruction of the image with its subsequent embodiment for the maximum possible number of people, which resembles a model that is present in any art activity. A person who is professionally versed in cosplay can be compared to a connoisseur of art related to the royal art gallery of the 19th century, but in some cases this can turn out to be nothing more than snobbery.
