2025/12/22 by Kelvin Zhang, Chao Tan, Y. F. Zhao · 1 voice
Psychology · #Adventure Sports and Sensation Seeking #Diversity and Impact of Dance #Recreation, Leisure, Wilderness Management
paper · doi:10.1080/02614367.2025.2607493
openalex publication_date 2025/12/22 · openalex created_date 2025/12/23 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/15
This study explores narratives of cosplay event participation through the analytical lens of play theory and leisure studies, examining how different manifestations of play sustain the cosplay experience and account for its paradoxical nature as both a creative form of play and a serious leisure pursuit. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 16 frequent participants of ChinaJoy, China’s largest digital entertainment convention with a major presence of cosplay events, the current study identified four interrelated themes, a sense of belonging and a collective playground, the emergence of rituals and ceremonies, tension between free play and serious play, and identity exploration. These findings demonstrate that play not only sustains joy and entertainment during cosplay activities but also underpins shared meaning and collective identity, fosters lasting social bonds, enables ritual enactments, and facilitates greater self-understanding that situate cosplay as a paradoxically playful yet serious leisure pursuit. These insights carry broader implications for how practitioners and event organisers sustain creativity and inclusivity in fan-based events and festivals, offering directions for future research on participatory leisure and event design.