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The Rise Of Videogame Fashion

Posted by simoniker on from the step-step-step-twirl dept.

Thanks to the San Antonio Express-News for their article charting the rise of videogame fashion. The article suggests: "Who would have thought the video game industry would issue a fashion statement? Increasingly, clothing based on game characters, icons and lingo, is calling a nation of game players", and references the wacky (the Dead Or Alive-inspired bikinis), and the less wacky (innumberable retro-styled T-shirts) in its search for a connection. Can retro clothing even help popularize forgotten characters? Wataru Maruyama of GamePro thinks so, saying "With Nintendo stretching their classic characters, those things create a continuity for gamers of all ages. Sometimes there can't be a regular game, but awareness of a title or imagery can be sustained through fashion."

35 comments

  1. condescending by josephgrossberg · · Score: 0

    If movies, TV et al. can influence dress, why not video games, another form of entertainment?

    This is just arrogant "OMG! Geeks can set trends!" stupidity.

    --

    Joe
    http://www.joegrossberg.com
  2. Cosplayers have been doing this for awhile by skyknytnowhere · · Score: 5, Interesting

    And Gchan recently modelled a DOAX swimsuit.

    I'm not sure if its video game fashion catching on, or just Cosplay in general is catching on, and Video Games have cool costumes. My ex-roommate was an avid cosplayer, and she drew from video games, Japanese and American movies, as well as actual anime for her costumes.

    All that said, video game characters sport some very cool clothing, some of which you can buy official versions of, like Tidus' pants.

    skye

  3. walking advertisements by joFFeman · · Score: 0

    without even considering that you're becoming a walking advertisement, if you are willing to pay $150US for a freaking bikini you should be shot.

    --
    "Life is great; without it, you'd be dead." -Harmony Korine
  4. Playing Dress Up? by bigman2003 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Well for the most part, fashion this is not.

    It's one thing for some (geek?) guy to wear an Atari shirt- although that one is so OVER due to over-exposure, by The Ataris no less. Also, we have other things like Homestar Runner clothing (I'm wearing The Cheat right now!).

    But dressing up as characters? That goes a little too far.

    The DOAX Volleyball bikinis are cool- because the chicks (the real ones) are hot. And if you have a girlfriend who looks like those, then damn- pay the $150 for the bikini.

    But, I shudder when imagining the pasty/fat/greasy chicks trying to dress up as Lara Croft. Damn bitch- put your Sonic The Hedgehog costume back on!!

    I see this as a good thing for Halloween. "Who are you?" "Dude...I'm Max Payne/Masterchief/J.C. Denton" Okay, that will fly.

    So- put on some tee-shirt with that fake-retro Old Navy look.

    Dress up as a Barbarian for Halloween.

    But for god sakes, don't wear your stupid tassle boots to the arcade, and play Gauntlet all day. It makes all of us video game players look bad.

    And on a serious note- if you are that dude that walks around UC Davis all the time, wearing your purple cape (and tassle boots) you really need to stop. You'll end up some day in the back of the library, bitter, because none of the humans will talk to you. No, it's not because you are an elf/troll/hobbit/whatever, and the rest of us are biased...it's because you are wearing a freakin' cape (and tassle boots) even when it is 100+ degrees outside.

    --
    No reason to lie.
    1. Re:Playing Dress Up? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      homestarrunner is perhaps the gayest online comic ever. yes, even gayer than penny arcade. quite a feat.

    2. Re:Playing Dress Up? by MerlynEmrys67 · · Score: 1
      And on a serious note- if you are that dude that walks around UC Davis all the time, wearing your purple cape (and tassle boots) you really need to stop. You'll end up some day in the back of the library, bitter, because none of the humans will talk to you. No, it's not because you are an elf/troll/hobbit/whatever, and the rest of us are biased...it's because you are wearing a freakin' cape (and tassle boots) even when it is 100+ degrees outside.

      Beats the guy who was running around Berkley when I was in college. He ran around without a cape, shirt, pants, underwear... just shoes (ok, he did bring a towel to sit on in class)

      --
      I have mod points and I am not afraid to use them
    3. Re:Playing Dress Up? by skyknytnowhere · · Score: 1

      "It makes all of us video game players look bad."

      You're absolutely right, we look enough like assholes as it is, picking on female gamers that deign to do something interesting, and perhaps even creative, making a Lara Croft or Yuna costume. We don't need people guessing that, perhaps, there is a larger demographic to gamers than cranky losers who pick on others on internet forums, right?

      skye

    4. Re:Playing Dress Up? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "You'll end up some day in the back of the library, bitter, because none of the humans will talk to you."

      Said the geek posting on slashdot.

    5. Re:Playing Dress Up? by mrseigen · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I can't wear an Atari t-shirt or some guy will think I'm a greasy idiot pop-culture drone. A shame really, I like my 800XL.

  5. Sure... by Hott+of+the+World · · Score: 1

    Cause its obvious that gamers are well known for their fasion sense.

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    1. Re:Sure... by Hott+of+the+World · · Score: 1

      fasion

      Well, almost as much as slashdot is for it's spelling ability.

      fashion!

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      | - | - |
    2. Re:Sure... by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 1

      Normally, I don't, but it's a spelling flame, so I can't resist...

      "its" "it's" is a contraction for "it is". "its" is the possessive.

      Chris Mattern

  6. when i get a beer belly.. by gl4ss · · Score: 1

    i'm sure to buy outfit like mario has!

    then i can get to 'clean some pipes' for sure!

    hmm... so.. i'm 22.. so hm.. i'll have that belly in 9 months. i wonder if i can get a good deal on that cap too.

    -

    --
    world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    1. Re:when i get a beer belly.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When you talk about dressing up in outfits, cleaning pipes, and waiting nine months for a fat belly, it would be very easy to make a gay pregnancy joke.

      But I would not do that, and this is not a gay pregnancy joke.

    2. Re:when i get a beer belly.. by spitzig · · Score: 1

      There's a thing about a guy at www.seanbaby.com who mailed Nintendo Power. Talked about how he was raking in the cash as a plumber, getting all the women. He thought he was really cool because he looked like Mario. 30 year old delusional plumber who plays video games obsessively. That was like 10 or 15 years ago, so now he's like 40. Yeah, women are all over him.

    3. Re:when i get a beer belly.. by TrippTDF · · Score: 1

      A few months back I saw a picture of Ron Jeremy dressed up as Mario... he fit the part, which is really, really disturbing. Amazingly so, actually.

  7. Survey: Do You Have Any Game-Related Clothing? by Gothic_Walrus · · Score: 1
    Slashdotters are, for the most part, geeks. Since we're the target audience for this type of product, I'm assuming that some Slashdotters have game related clothing.

    So: what, if any, video game related clothing do you own?

    --
    Goo goo g'joob.
    1. Re:Survey: Do You Have Any Game-Related Clothing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      A t-shirt with a space invader on the front. Most of my geek clothes are webcomic related (Sheriff Pony rules). If I found myself in a position where I could ditch all my business casual clothes in favor of whatever I wanted, I'd probably pick up a few shirts from Gameskins. The 'Roots' and '8-Bit' ones are cool.

      As for buying clothes based on what game characters wear... no. I have the same model watch worn by Christian Bale in the movie Equilibrium, but I travel a lot and dual time deal is extremely functional. But you won't see me in Kirby's booties any time soon.

      I'd wear power armor, though. And you'd definitely hear about it on the news.

    2. Re:Survey: Do You Have Any Game-Related Clothing? by Daetrin · · Score: 1
      So: what, if any, video game related clothing do you own?

      I've got a t-shirt with The Code on it, a Kingdom Hearts t-shirt, and i've been eyeing the new t-shirt with the box art from the old NES Metroid on it.

      I'd like to pick up some Final Fantasy shirts, but all the ones i've seen so far have been printed on white shirts, which i don't really like.

      --
      This Space Intentionally Left Blank
    3. Re:Survey: Do You Have Any Game-Related Clothing? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I have a "Team Xbox" t-shirt (Black) that I wear pretty often.

    4. Re:Survey: Do You Have Any Game-Related Clothing? by PainKilleR-CE · · Score: 1

      I have a Tekken 3 T-shirt that I got with a pre-order, which was too small the day I got it (I never really understood why they gave out shirts that wouldn't fit any of the guys that were there to pick up their pre-orders). Oh well, my gf wears a lot of my old shirts at night, but I still don't think I want to see a picture of Kazuya on her.

      --
      -PainKilleR-[CE]
  8. Deep Hot Wet Links by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Here is theIndex of store's pictures.

  9. sonic playin' for the other team? by aderusha · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Where else would you spot a licensed motorcycle jacket patterned after Nintendo's fleet-footed Sonic the Hedgehog?
    "nintendo's" sonic? i'm just too much of a dork fanboy to let that one go...
    1. Re:sonic playin' for the other team? by Saige · · Score: 1

      I was just about to post about this - I'm suprised you were the first to mention it. It's a rather serious goof.

      Either that, or I'm a dorkette.

      Don't answer that. :)

      --
      "You know your god is man-made when he hates all the same people you do."
  10. Nintendo Fashon by Firestorm_Rising · · Score: 0
    'Can retro clothing even help popularize forgotten characters? Wataru Maruyama of GamePro thinks so, saying "With Nintendo stretching their classic characters,..."'

    I'll say this much: You won't see me in bright red overalls any time soon.

  11. Damn shipping costs by Kris_J · · Score: 3, Informative

    I'd have bought a Pac Man Error Screen T-shirt by now if shipping to Australia wasn't as much as the shirt itself...

  12. Lots of floorcloths by R5900 · · Score: 1
    Being a professional game developer, i must admit i have a good number of game-related promotional t-shirts.

    But most of them are so damn ugly, that there is no way I can wear them! They might be useful, to wear while sleeping, if you sleep alone, but otherwise they're just an insult to your girlfriend.

    That's why, most of them (expect Sony's ones, which are usually quite nice) stay in the drawer, and soon end their life as disposable floorcloth, when something is spilled on the floor.

  13. Stretched? by M3wThr33 · · Score: 1

    Mario is the most recognized character in this entire world. More than Mickey Mouse.

    Isn't it expected to have Mario shirts? I have dozens games shirts. Sure, many are free from E3, but I spent $50 on a collared Mario-clad bowling shirt from Hot Topic(I know, I know).

    I get compliments for them. Video-game fashion is often hard to come by, so it is a nice and positive thing.

    Of course, when everybody starts wearing them, I'll feel a bit disappointed as it would wear thin. But that'll never happen, right? ;)

    1. Re:Stretched? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      when everybody starts wearing them

      Hot Topic is just Abercrombie for little freak kids who have too much angst. It used to be a decent store, until they had a store in every mall...

    2. Re:Stretched? by Axis+of+Weasel · · Score: 1

      i thought Ronald McDonald was the most recognizable character. maybe it was the golden arches being the most recognizable symbol...

      --

      this sig has been discontinued.
    3. Re:Stretched? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But they sell Zim stuff.

    4. Re:Stretched? by M3wThr33 · · Score: 1

      Ronald has been on a real downfall in the last 2 decades. McDs is seriously considering dropping him entirely.

  14. FF anyone? by asjk · · Score: 1

    My vote is for any of the feminine apparel from the Final Fantsy collection. The nice Tifa shorts or garbs worn by Yuna or (yum) Lulu!