Cosplay Arabia - December 2018

Cosplay Arabia
There’s still a lot to
experiment with, and there’s
still a lot to go– ComicCon
San Diego is 60 years old. I’m
predicting that there will
be an industry around here
that will develop comics and
games that are catered to our
nation and start exporting it
to the world – the same thing
has happened in Japan,United
States, Germany, and France.
Q. Do you think cosplaying
is getting the attention it
deserves in Bahrain? What
more can cosplayers as well
as establishments such as
this magazine and event
organizers do to promote and
encourage cosplaying in the
GCC?
A. The cosplay scene is a
niche of a niche. For it here
to actually get more attention
people need to understand
what is cosplay and you
need to give it more passion
and interest for it to get
more attention. People need
to understand the trade of
cosplay – they think it’s just
costumes and that’s it. They
don’t realize there’s a lot to
consider. I think cosplayers
not only in Bahrain but
around the world need
attention but it needs more
time.
Prizes are always nice – but
then it creates competition
and when you create a
competition you only have 1
or 2 winners out of 20. Media
is always good to help shed
some light on them. One
thing cosplayers have issues
with is they ’re dependent on
events as the only place they
go showcase their work. So
let’s say you do one cosplay
at one event – now it’s time
for that cosplay to go to other
platforms such as corporate
events, charity, etc. If I sum
it up – its media strategy –
cosplayers need to work on
their media strategy and how
to showcase their work.
Q. Most cosplayers do it for
fun but don’t really see a
growth arc outside contests.
Do you feel there’s more
they can do to grow and
perhaps start a career from
cosplaying?
A. They need to see a broader
horizon to what they do. Not
just cosplay to certain events
and if you afford only to go
to your own country and
your country offers only 2 or
3 events a year – that’s not
enough to get you out there –
you need more exposure.
Sometimes people need to
offer their skills in different
places like theater or movies –
I know a person from Kuwait
who is into that and he can be
a case study of how cosplayers
make it bigger and make a
career out of it by stepping
out of their comfort zone.
Q. Apart from being a TV
personality and an Event
MC, you also have your own
YouTube production and
show on Bahrain TV which
ties into gaming and pop
culture. Tell us more about
that.
A. It’s called VG55 on Bahrain
TV based on video games &
its been going on since 16th
of November 2016. It caters
more to the gaming world,
shedding light on the gaming
community. So it’s simply a
Bahrain TV show on gaming –
the first of its kind on Bahrain
TV ever.
Q. It must be very hectic
for you being involved in
4 simultaneous projects
while being a Family Man as
well? How does one strike a
balance?
A. It’s not easy. Time
management is so important
right now, not losing track of
things is so important right
now. I guess what keeps us
going is we see people smile
“Experiment, invest
money, get broke, make
mistakes, you have to
make mistakes, feel bad
about it, no problems,
just get back up again.”
and when I come back home
I see I’m putting food on
the table and opening more
opportunities for my family
and me and other people.
It seems like we are on the
right track. We’re in the
right age to make it happen
until something big comes
along and we feel like we can
relax a bit and build on the
momentum we’ve developed
over the last few years.
Q. Any last piece of advice
you would like to give our
readers?
Experiment, invest money,
get broke, make mistakes, you
have to make mistakes, feel
bad about it, no problems, just
get back up again. Remember
everything you feel right now
will pass through – whatever
challenges you have right
now they are there for you to
learn. You will be challenged
by your family, challenged
by friends, challenged by the
community and it may seem
sometimes you are alone in
a path. Remember just keep
working keep focused and
keep going. Try different
things and see what clicks.
Right now you have the most
powerful tool at your disposal
which is social media – you’re
so lucky to have that so make
the most out of it.
Interview & photograph by
Ibrahim Ansari for Cosplay
Arabia on 23rd of October
2018. Edited by Mohammed
Farija prior publication.
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