How Cosplay Can Cultivate Virtue

Abstract

This chapter examines how cosplaying a fictional identity from video games might contribute to the cultivation of virtue beyond mere play. The chapter contends that for some players at least, cosplay can move beyond aesthetic performance or expressions of fandom and become a means of cultivating moral character. Just as video games can provide virtual stages for exploring character and virtue, cosplay can sometimes involve physical enactment and extension of this process into material and social worlds such as game conventions, hospitals, and community events.