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Motivations of Cosplayers to Participate in the Anime Fandom

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Motivations of Cosplayers to Participate in the Anime Fandom doi: 10.17605/OSF.IO/UT4FB Motivations of Cosplayers to Participate in the Anime Fandom Dr. Stephen Reysen, Texas A & M University at Commerce Dr. Courtney N. Plante, MacEwan University Dr. Sharon E. Roberts, Renison University College, University of Waterloo Dr. Kathleen C. Gerbasi, Niagara County Community College Abstract discussed in relation to past research examining anime cosplayers. We examined differences between cosplaying and non-cosplaying anime Keywords: anime, cosplay, fans with regard to their motivation to cosplayer, motivation, fandom, escape, participate in the anime fandom. belongingness Participants, all anime fans, completed scales assessing a myriad of possible Introduction motivations for anime fandom participation. Cosplayers rated all of the Fans are people who ardently and assessed motivations higher than non- loyally admire a particular interest, be it cosplayers. The highest-rated an athletic team, a genre of media, or a motivations for cosplayers included hobby (Reysen & Branscombe, 2010). entertainment, escape from everyday Given the importance of fandom to life, belongingness, eustress, and peoples’ lives (Chadborn, Edwards, & aesthetic beauty. Modest sex differences Reysen, in press) and the considerable were also found, as women were more resources people devote to their fan likely than men to cosplay and, even interests (Reysen & Branscombe, 2010), among cosplayers, women reported it is little wonder that researchers have higher belongingness, family, self- sought to better understand underlying esteem, and escape motivations. With factors motivating fandom participation the exception of sexual attraction, (Chadborn, Edwards, & Reysen, in however, where men were considerably press; Reysen & Branscombe, 2010). more motivated by sexual attraction than Early psychological research studied the women, the effect sizes for sex question of fan motivation within the differences were fairly small, suggesting context of sport fans, with Wann (1995) little true difference between male and identifying eight such motivations: (1) female cosplayers. The results are belongingness (affiliation, seeking to The Phoenix Papers, Vol. 4, No. 1, August 2018 29 gain or maintain social contact), (2) motivated by the same factors as sport family (maintain family contacts), (3) fans. In recent years, there has been aesthetic (perceived beauty or growing interest in studying the appreciating as a form of art), (4) self- idiosyncrasies of individual fandoms and esteem (positive sense of self or understanding important theoretical accomplishment), (5) economic dimensions underpinning differences (economic gain through participation), between different fan groups (Schroy, (6) eustress (positive stress or arousal), Plante, Reysen, Roberts, & Gerbasi, (7) escape (diversion from typical or 2016). For example, Schroy and everyday life), and (8) entertainment colleagues (2016) re-examined Wann’s (amusement or enjoyment). Wann found eight motivations, adding two additional that for sport fans, the top-rated ones—attention (seeking feedback and motivations were entertainment, regard from others) and sexual attraction eustress, belongingness, self-esteem, and (sexual arousal from fan interest)—and aesthetics, although all eight of the assessed the extent to which they motivations were positively correlated predicted fan identification in three with identification with one’s favorite different fan groups: Anime fans, furries, sport team. Subsequent research on sport and fantasy sport fans. Most presently fans has found a myriad of important relevant are the findings for anime moderator variables: sex of the fan, fans—fans of Japanese animation and individual versus team sports, whether manga—that belongingness, family, the sport is aggressive or nonaggressive self-esteem, economic factors (Wann, Schrader, & Wilson, 1999), (negatively), eustress, escapism, and stylistic (e.g., figure skating) versus entertainment all drive fandom nonstylistic sports (e.g., football; Wann, identification, with belongingness and Grieve, Zapalac, & Pease, 2008), race of entertainment being the biggest the fan (Armstrong, 2002), and fantasy motivators. Unlike fantasy sport fans, sport versus traditional sport (Billings & belongingness was the biggest predictor Ruihley, 2013). Put simply, there exists of fandom for anime fans, not a considerable body of research entertainment, while factors such as assessing the complex interplay of aesthetics and eustress were only factors that drive sport fans. minimally associated with anime fandom Despite a broad range of different participation. In short, findings such as fan interests, the majority of these demonstrate the value of assessing psychological research on fan groups has the idiosyncratic motivations of different focused on sport fans and has largely fan communities rather than treating all neglected less mainstream fan interests fans as a homogeneous category. In the (Reysen & Shaw, 2016). There is little present study, we take this notion one reason, both intuitively and empirically, step further, assessing whether to believe that fans of all interests are systematic differences in fan motivation The Phoenix Papers, Vol. 4, No. 1, August 2018 30 exist within subgroups of the same reasons. No explicit mention was made fandom. in prior research regarding family, Closely tied to the anime fandom is aesthetic beauty, or eustress despite the the practice of cosplaying. Cosplay—a mention of such motivations in prior portmanteau of the terms “costume” and research on sport fans. “play”—is the act of dressing up and It is also important to note the cross- role-playing as a character from an national and cross-methodological anime series, manga, video game, or similarities of cosplayer motivation, as story (Winge, 2006). Although many shown in Table 1. Cosplayers from studies have touched upon the question around the world mentioned being of cosplayer motivation within the anime driven by many of the same motivations. community, few studies have Moreover, regardless of the size of the quantitatively assessed these motivations sample or the researcher’s methodology, or focused directly on the question of similar motivations emerged. That said, cosplayer motivation. In the present most of the existing research has been research, we expand upon the results of open-ended and qualitative in nature, Schroy et al. (2016), which included ten allowing respondents to list any reason motivations, but examine differences for why they cosplayed. The result is a between cosplaying and non-cosplaying variety of responses that, in some anime fans. It is also worth considering instances, represent idiosyncratic or these motivations within the context of personal reasons rather than general prior research assessing anime cosplayer motivations shared by all cosplayers or motivation. For example, a review of the anime fans. To address this in the existing literature reveals that the present research, all respondents rated motivation of belongingness almost the same 10 possible motivations for always arises in such work (see Table 1), participation in the anime fandom. often taking the form of getting into An additional methodological cosplay to make friends, maintaining consideration in the present study is the friendships through cosplaying, making examination of potential sex differences cosplay costumes with friends, in cosplayer motivations. While the performing cosplay with teams of anime fandom consists of more men than friends, online interactions, and a felt women (Reysen, Plante, Roberts, need to belong. A second frequently- Gerbasi, & Shaw, 2016), women are mentioned motivation is entertainment, more likely to cosplay than men with cosplayers enjoying building (Lotecki, 2012; Rosenberg & Letamendi, costumes and performing for their own 2013), suggesting that there may exist sake. Other less-commonly-mentioned sex differences in how fanship and motivations for cosplayers include fandom manifest. Although no research escape from everyday life, seeking has directly examined sex differences attention, self-esteem, and economic within cosplayers with respect to The Phoenix Papers, Vol. 4, No. 1, August 2018 31 motivations, Ray, Plante, Reysen, Method Roberts, and Gerbasi (2017) examined sex differences in psychological needs in Participants and Procedures a sample of anime fans. Across a variety of different psychological needs Self-identified anime fans (N = 3077, commonly met by membership in 69.2% male; Mage = 23.23, SD = 6.61) groups, women only scored higher than were recruited at A-Kon (anime fan men on self-esteem and social support convention in Dallas, TX) and from compared to men. The results suggest online anime-related websites and that, at least within the general anime forums. As part of a larger study of the fandom, women and men are similar in anime fandom, participants indicated the needs they fulfill through whether they participated in cosplay (n = membership in the anime fandom. That 1048, 34.1% participate in cosplay) and study only assessed anime fans in completed items assessing their general, however, and did not consider motivations for participating in the the subgroup of cosplayers, wherein the anime fandom. All items used a 7-point sex composition is reversed. Likert-type response scale, from 1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree. Present Study Materials The purposes of the present study are to examine differences between Participants completed 10 items cosplayer and non-cosplayer motivations
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