Cosplay is a genuine artistic and creative outlet with tangible benefits

Dress-up is just for children, or at least that’s what most of us tend to think. In fact, unless it’s Halloween or a costume party, it’s strange for older teens or adults to even mention dressing up. But that doesn’t mean that they don’t.

This is where cosplay comes in. For those who don’t know, cosplay is when people dress up as characters related to pop culture, specifically for conventions, internet content, or even contests. These characters could be anyone from movies to TV shows to video games to books; no matter how niche a person is, someone has cosplayed them. To put it simply, it is just more invested “dressing up” and as a direct result, the practice is considered by many as “immature” or “childish.” However, many others would disagree, specifically when it comes to the positive impacts that cosplay has on mental health. 

At this year’s PAX East, a video game convention based in Boston, a variety of cosplayers put in their two cents on this hobby. One such congoer described it as, “a sense of escapism that today I am not [myself]. Today I am Cloud Strife. I mean, if I know that I’m [myself], okay, great. But like other people are like, ‘Hey, Cloud’ it’s cool. You get to forget the harshness of reality. That sounds so dramatic, life isn’t that bad, but life is still stressful, it has its stressful moments. But when you’re in cosplay, it’s like my stress today is holding a sword all day and wondering when I’m gonna drink coffee again. If the worst thing I have to worry about is holding a sword, then great.”

Others found deep satisfaction in actually creating their costumes, which can be challenging, time-consuming, and expensive. This was specifically mentioned by a cosplayer who said, “There is a sense of pride that like I saw something through and I didn’t shirk it away and get rid of it and forget about it. It might not be the best but like again for my first time, [but] I think it’s great and it’s a reward. Tomorrow I’m gonna be very happy to show off something that I put all this blood, sweat, and tears into.”

But more than anything else, the cosplayers at PAX were most impacted by how they were able to help and interact with others because of their costumes. A cosplayer explained, “Well I think one of the reasons I love it especially is just the kind of interactions that I have with people and the kind of positivity I bring to people. Like tomorrow I’m going to be going to Spot Bros. And so whenever I’m walking around I just give this positive energy. Like literally I’m walking by, just people, the biggest smiles on their faces. And it just means the world to me to be able to do that for people”.

Their friend jumped in, saying, “Just being able to have that connection with other people and just being able to bring that happiness to others. It makes me feel good knowing that I’m able to have that impact. And that’s because I like leaving the world better than I found it. That’s like a big thing for my mental health. So if I’m able to provide that for people, it’s a win-win in that case”.

And yet another cosplayer said, “I work with seniors of Alzheimer’s and I do this for them. I dress up silly for basically every holiday and they absolutely love it. It brings a smile to their face. We [just celebrated] St. Patrick’s Day and I dressed them up as little St. Patrick’s Day bugs. We made T-shirts and I dressed up and it just makes them happy. They know that I’m weird, but I’m happy and they’re happy”

As anecdotal as these testimonies are, they actually hold distinct scientific weight. For many, especially teens, cosplay can be an incredibly freeing form of self-expression. And though it is considered a niche hobby, it is also an art form that has psychologically based positive effects. Plus, while some cosplayers might not always be able to articulate the specifics of how their craft aids them, it has been shown that it can prevent and alleviate depression, anxiety, and self-esteem issues. It’s not just a pastime of “nerds” and “weirdos”; cosplay is a genuine artistic and creative outlet with tangible benefits. So if you’re curious, go for it and explore cosplay, you may glean more than you expect.