'Cosplay saved my life' - How Scots are improving their mental health with costumes and fantasy

Few people can say they’ve run into Lucifer in a Glasgow hotel conference hall, but Katt Wolfe - a 29-year-old Scot dressed head-to-toe in red paint and black leather - plays her character with devilish trademark charisma.

In the corporate furnishings of a DoubleTree Hilton, with its beige ceilings and convention-room carpeting, there is an explosion of sound and colour.

Wolfe is one of the hundreds of costume and pop culture enthusiasts who have met for ‘Cosplay Con Scotland’, a self-billed “celebration of costume design, props, photography and special effects”, and is keen to evangelise on behalf of her community.

Attendees of the 2024 Cosplay Con Scotland, at the DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in Glasgow, pose for a photograph

The sense of belonging here is second to none, she said, with people flocking to the hobby to support their mental health and to make friends.

“I got bullied pretty badly for being kind of nerdy, and because I used to live near London,” the Glaswegian said.

“My mum took me into London and I went to my first comic con and finally felt like I fit in with people.

“It was amazing to meet all these people that had the same interests as me and I got to dress up and I just had the most fun day being somebody else for a day - I was no longer the Katt that got bullied, I was this character that got to have this awesome day out and make friends, and people were nice to me.

Katt Wolfe, 29, from Glasgow, said that “if it wasn’t for comic cons, I don't actually think I would be here today".

“It was a real breath of fresh air, and I just fell in love with cosplay and carried on going.”

Wolfe is something of a celebrity in the world of Scottish cosplay, with nearly 80,000 Instagram followers, and as well as being quick to point out she isn’t actually cosplaying as the devil (she’s Karlach, a character from the video game franchise Baldur’s Gate), she is forthcoming about her mental health struggles and the positive impact the hobby has had on her.

“If it wasn’t for comic cons, I don't actually think I would be here today,” she said.

“I had a really, really tough time in my teenage years and having friends that would listen to me, and just being able to make friends in general, was such a huge thing to me as a kid that was really struggling.

Kieran McFarland (centre), with his team of Ghostbusters. Together they raise money for Scottish Action for Mental Health (SAMH).

“I went into school five days a week and got beaten up, I had a really nasty time in class.

“And then, one weekend every couple of months, I had something to look forward to.

“I could see my friends from all over the country. We would come together and hang out and I felt and I had people that liked me.

“Suddenly I wasn’t all of the horrible things people would say about me. On the flipside, people were asking for a picture with me, and saying ‘hey, great costume’ - I was very lucky that this came into my life.”

Billy James, known as 'Psyclone Jack', said that anyone nervous or anxious about giving cosplay a try should do it for mental health benefits.

Among the convention-goers are Princess Peach, Hellraiser, members of the Addams family, Power Rangers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - as well as one man just dressed as a cow.

Some stuck to the convention hall, while others took breaks outside under the Hilton’s overhanging canopy on Cambridge Street, as bemused Glaswegians stared out from passing buses.

People on their way to the TRNSMT festival, also taking place in the city that weekend, stopped to take pictures with characters they recognised.

Inside the convention hall, a group of Ghostbusters were raising money for the mental health charity Scottish Action for Mental Health.

Kieran McFarland, a 40-year-old Ghostbuster from Kirkcudbright, said: “Not to get too personal, but some of us have had issues with mental health in the past, which is one of the reasons why we do this.

“And there's just not enough support for people with mental health issues in this country. So that's why we want to help as much as you can.”

George Kerr, 61, and daughter Jess Kerr, 29, both from Newcastle, dressed as characters from the world of Game of Thrones.

McFarland added that despite not knowing each other for long, they have “come together through this fandom and been able to build an amazing franchise together”.

The event was hosted by Billy James, known as Psyclone Jack, a 36-year-old from Orange County, California, who said the therapeutic benefits of cosplay are immense.

“It's craft, it's painting, it's drawing, it's art - it's artistic. So not only are you creating something out of nothing most of the time, but you're also celebrating the thing you love most - which could be gaming or books or fantasy or movies or cartoons, anything.”

James said that anyone nervous or anxious about giving the hobby a try should do it for mental health benefits.

“You get to gather with people who are like-minded, so grab your friends,” he said.

“Get at least a couple of people to come with you and explore it, and explore it as someone who's just a viewer for the day and see what you like, see what you appreciate.

“You might see characters you haven't seen in years, and be like - ‘Oh my god, I haven’t seen them since I was a kid, I can't believe somebody dresses like that’.

“Do it for the experience - 100 per cent.”

The reasons people try cosplay are myriad. Alongside the many people taking part for their mental health, there are others who do it to share a passion with a loved one.

George Kerr, 61, and daughter Jess Kerr, 29, both from Newcastle, roamed the convention hall dressed immaculately as characters from the hit HBO series ‘ House of the Drago n’.

“I got into cosplay for the community. It's so lovely, and everyone's so supportive,” Jess said.

“I just really wanted to be a part of that and it's so welcoming as well. It doesn't matter where you come from or how much you know, like, there's a bit for everyone.

“It's so welcoming and supportive.”

Meanwhile, her father said his reasons for cosplaying are far more domestic: “It brings us closer as father and daughter.

“If it makes her happy, then there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for her.”

Once seen as an American hobby, the popularity of cosplaying in Scotland has exploded, in part due to the social isolation experienced by many young people during the coronavirus pandemic.

Social media brought young cosplayers together during a crisis of loneliness.

“Especially during lockdown when everything shut, and the whole country went on lockdown, my mental health took a really big debt,” said Elle Roche, a 30-year-old Dundonian.

“I got really depressed. I was not in a good place.”

She explained how the majority of friends she’s made have come from the world of cosplay, particularly on social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram and X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Whenever I’ve met up with them it’s always been at these conventions, and it’s just such a great vibe,” she said.

“Everyone just looks after each other.”

For many cosplayers, the hobby gives them a chance to make their fantasies more real. For others, though, they’re not fantasies - they’re expressions of their true self.