Decked out at Gamescom

At every big game fair, they make for great pictures: Cosplayers are those who act and dress like given characters from video games. And hundreds of their kind flocked to Europe's biggest videogames fair, Gamescom, in Cologne (22. 08.2013 - 25.08.2013). The icing on the cake: Getting recognized by fellow game players and asked for a photo.

The word "cosplay" is a mix of "costume" and "play." The trend emerged in Japan, and has since caught on in other countries as well. Jean-Luc (18) took on the role of Darius, a fighter from the world of online game "League of Legends." "He immediately attacks the good ones. But he is completely loyal to the dark side," Jean-Luc said.

"She's very strong and does her own thing," said Jacqueline (24) about her character Asuna Yuuki. "Kiriosaya is crazy and over the top, but he would do anything for his friends," Nikolai (20) said. Both characters are from the online manga series "Sword Art Online."

Patrick (28) spent well over two years on his character's costume from the "Halo" game series. He came up with the idea for this outfit as Master Chief Spartan 117 when he realized he didn’t need parts of his motorcycle anymore. "My two kids helped me put together the costume," he said with pride.

"She's just crazy. Juliet Starling is as if she got straight out of a tacky zombie movie," Myriam (23) said and swings her chainsaw made from plastic. Her character stems from the Japanese video game "Lollipop Chainsaw." Some of the cosplayers here at Gamescom are treated as if they were famous - they are followed by cameras at all times and are allowed to skip lines.

"White mages are healers who help support their group. They are pacifists and are the good guys," Christoph (27) explained. The characters from the gamer classic "Final Fantasy" remind him of his adolescent years - and his first years playing video games.

"With cosplay, I like that there are new challenges constantly. I try to design a new costume about six times a year," Nataliya (16) said. She especially pays attention to details like armor. Her character is an Asmodian elf derived from roleplaying game "Aion."

Silvia (28) took on the role of Queen Juno from "Assassin's Creed," which has been quite successful. "I like that she has power over the world," Silvia said with a grin. October will see the release of a new installment in the series. And the game's producers couldn’t be more pleased with the free advertisement provided by the cosplayers.

Mercedes (22) from Belgium has designed the costume of her character Bildratial of "Guild Wars 2" by herself. In the game, Bildratial's clothing is made from petals. "I wanted to try and see whether I can recreate that look," she said. For some of the parts, she heated up plastic disks and then remodelled the soft material.

Here, at the gamescom cosplay village, cosplayers pose and give interviews - just like they would on the red carpet. Each day, Helena (18) wears a different costume to the fair. Today, she's portraying Amy Rose from "Sonic." Her hammer works also as her purse - because unlike Amy Rose, Helena seems to need her everyday belongings, such as keys and a wallet.