ResCon 2013, LSU’s first cosplay convention, boldly united LSU’s “geek” community Monday evening.
“ResCon originated as an idea some RAs came up with during training,” said mechanical engineering sophomore Gerry Knapp. “We wanted to take the great experience we had at conventions we attended and bring it to LSU.”
About 123 cosplayers participated in the ResCon events that included wizard’s chess, a fighting games tournament, a dance party and board games. The Atchafalaya Room in the Student Union provided plenty of space for video games like “Dance Dance Revolution.”
“RHA is considering expanding this event. Hopefully it will become a yearly thing,” said chemistry sophomore and ResCon coordinator Alex Rueff.
Many ResCon attendees chose to cosplay for the event. Cosplay, a portmanteau of the words “costume” and “roleplay,” refers to dressing up and portraying a fictional character. However, cosplay is more than just dressing to emulate a fictional character — to passionate cosplayers, cosplaying is a way to bring a character from their favorite anime, video game or comic series to life.
Anime fans and cosplayers gather at conventions to socialize, compare costumes, compete in contests and play tabletop games like “Dungeons and Dragons.” Large conventions like Anime Expo in Los Angeles frequently attract high-profile voice actors and other special guests. Cosplayers without the time and money for such excursions typically flock to sites like Cosplay.com and WorldCosplay.net. Louisiana has several conventions, including Louisianime and MechaCon.
Some veteran cosplayers don’t mind the long drive to larger conventions. Environmental engineering freshman Amy Janvier was more than willing to make the 550-mile drive to Momocon in Atlanta earlier this year. Janvier attended ResCon dressed as Stocking from the popular anime “Panty and Stocking With Garterbelt.” Unlike most cosplayers, Janvier constructs her own costumes.
“Conventions give me an opportunity to meet other people with the same passion as me,” Janvier said.
One popular form of cosplaying is crossplay, or dressing as a character of the opposite gender. English freshman Grant Hildreth said he became entranced with the idea of crossplay after finding a cosplay outfit inspired by popular “Vocaloid” character Miku Hatsune on Amazon.com.
“I like to crossplay because I enjoy the reactions and making other people laugh, whether it be with me or at me. I think of it as a form of self-expression,” Hildreth said.
Picking which character to cosplay can be a daunting task. Some cosplayers pick a character they closely resemble. Budget and time constraints force some cosplayers to select characters with simple outfits.
Others, like history and English freshman Jennifer Strength, picked characters with whom they have an emotional connection. Strength cosplayed as Kiki from “Kiki’s Delivery Service,” a popular Hayao Miyazaki film.
“It’s really cool when someone recognizes your costume and shares their memories of the anime or show of the character you’re cosplaying from,” Strength said. “It’s a connection on a deeper level.”
