Videogame merch is basically diet cosplay, and I'm desperate for more brands to get in on being more fashionably nerdy

I've always deeply admired cosplayers. I'll never forget attending Final Fantasy 14's Fan Fest back in 2023 and being absolutely star struck by how people had so beautifully brought their Warriors of Light to life—towered over by bunny girls with carefully-constructed ears and replicated job gear, and wishing I was also representing my Viera in the real world.

Unfortunately I suck at arts and crafts, don't have a lot of money to get someone else to do it, and I'm just… well, a bit shy. It can be a rather vulnerable thing, putting yourself out there in the hot-glued shoes of a fictional character. But it's also a way to display your love for a piece of media, your love for the craft, and for the characters we become so deeply attached to. I've only ever been brave enough to cosplay once in my life, at 17-years-old in a rather cheap-looking fit I'd scooped up from a UK-based anime store.

But I'm also the type of person who wants to show the world the things I like. I want people to know my interests! The second-best way to do that which isn't parading around in a hairsprayed-to-hell wig that probably doubles as a fire hazard? Wearing merch, of course. My problem? Videogame merch has always been kinda bad.

Well, it was for a very long time anyway. I distinctly remember circling around conventions and it always being the same damn thing. Gildan t-shirts with prints of varying quality. Even the official merch was the exact freaking same! It's something I was more than happy to do as a teenager, but as I've gotten older and really honed in on my sense of style (which is, generally, not wearing ill-fitting tees) I've yearned for more fashionable ways to show off the thing I love more in the world.

Are we totally there yet? Hmm, no. I don't think so. Those standard fit t-shirts are still rife across artist alleys, official merch stores, and budget-brand clothing retailers peddling every license they can get their hands on. It's annoying because some of them sport wicked cool designs, too—one of my favourite pieces of videogame merch is still my metalesque Hades tee from Final Fantasy 14, but I rarely wear it because, again, I look naff in a tee.

But. But! It's getting so much better, and it makes me feel all giddy inside. Most of that is thanks to collaborations with brands who can do much better than the clothing section of yer ma's supermarket from down the road. Kara's written about some of them for this very column in the past: Minecraft's collaboration with Very Cool, and Steady Hands—the maker of incredibly cool videogame gear—recently putting out a Sonic collaboration that has me ecstatically waiting until payday so I can scoop up the Shadow the Hedgehog cardigan.

Not to harp on too much about Sonic, but 2025 really was a good year for its merch. It partnered with Timberland for some slick themed colourways, and it took all of my power to not rip my pal's Sonic x Puma racer shirt off his back and run away with it. They're just two collaborations that perfectly toe the line of affordable and fashionably nerdy, and I'm desperate for more brands and videogames to get in on the fun.

Insert Coin has long dabbled in some slightly less traditional garments, which I've always appreciated. Do I love a bomber jacket? Rarely, but I'm glad to see them getting made regardless. It did do a proper Persona 5 Shujin Academy blazer though, which I most definitely rated.

You've even got places like ZA/UM's own clothing brand which has been peddling designer-priced pieces inspired by Disco Elysium for the last few years. Why yes, that does include an almost-200 dollar plastic carrier bag, thanks for asking.

So here you have it, my plea to clothing brands and videogames everywhere: As someone too shy to cosplay, please make cooler merch so I can show how much I love the stuff you make. Merch that doesn't require me to buy a $200 bag I can nab for 20p at my local Tesco/Walmart/[insert local grocery store here]. Give me dresses! Cool jeans! More sneakers! Jazzy tops that aren't just a t-shirt! I may be older, wiser, and more fashionable than I once was, but I don't love videogames any less.