Gaming: Videogame Merch Is Basically Diet Cosplay, And I'm Desperate For...

Welcome to Character Select, a weekly column where PC Gamer takes a look at the art and cosplay created by you. Each week, I'll highlight a few of my favourite pieces, spotlight and interview creators and artists, or generally just chew your ear off about the talents of the gaming community.

I've always deeply admired cosplayers. I'll never forget attending Final Fantasy 14's Fan Fest back in 2023 and being absolutely star struck by how people had so beautifully brought their Warriors of Light to life—towered over by bunny girls with carefully-constructed ears and replicated job gear, and wishing I was also representing my Viera in the real world.

Unfortunately I suck at arts and crafts, don't have a lot of money to get someone else to do it, and I'm just… well, a bit shy. It can be a rather vulnerable thing, putting yourself out there in the hot-glued shoes of a fictional character. But it's also a way to display your love for a piece of media, your love for the craft, and for the characters we become so deeply attached to. I've only ever been brave enough to cosplay once in my life, at 17-years-old in a rather cheap-looking fit I'd scooped up from a UK-based anime store.

But I'm also the type of person who wants to show the world the things I like. I want people to know my interests! The second-best way to do that which isn't parading around in a hairsprayed-to-hell wig that probably doubles as a fire hazard? Wearing merch, of course. My problem? Videogame merch has always been kinda bad.

Well, it was for a very long time anyway. I distinctly remember circling around conventions and it always being the same damn thing. Gildan t-shirts with prints of varying quality. Even the official merch was the exact freaking same! It's something I was more than happy to do as a teenager, but as I've gotten older and really honed in on my sense of style (which is, generally, not wearing ill-fitting tees) I've yearned for more fashionable ways to show off the thing I love more in the world.

Are we totally there yet? Hmm, no. I don't think so. Those standard fit t-shirts are still rife across artist alleys, official merch stores, and budget-brand clothing retailers peddling every license they can get their hands on. It's annoying because some of them sport wicked cool designs, too—one of my favourite pieces of videogame merch is still my metalesque Hades tee from Final Fantasy 14, but I rarely wear it because, again, I look naff in a tee.

But. But! It's getting so

Source: PC Gamer