This Sunday, Singapore gaming and cosplay fans will get to listen to "Cosplay Queen" Alodia Gosiengfiao in a panel discussion held during Singtel's PVP Esports championship at Singapore Comic Con 2019.
Ms Gosiengfiao was only 15 when she started to get involved in cosplaying. At 18, she was asked to judge at cosplaying competitions.
Today, the 31-year-old Filipino is not only a renowned cosplayer, but she is also a game streamer and one of the first Facebook Gaming partners from Asia.
Her Facebook page has 6.5 million followers, while her YouTube and Instagram accounts each has around 1.2 million followers.
She has sponsorship deals from Sony PlayStation Asia, Acer Predator and many others. She also acted in a Japanese movie starring opposite Tao Okamoto of The Wolverine fame.
In 2017, she co-founded Tier One Entertainment, a gaming and esports talent agency, to discover and help gaming talents in South-east Asia.
It will not be the first time that Ms Gosiengfiao is in the Lion City. As early as 2010, she was here to judge cosplay competitions.
"My impression of Singapore is that it is very clean, orderly, professional and there are lots of flowers and gardens around," she says in an e-mail interview.
She adds that she loves the stingray at hawker centres. Food aside, she hopes to share how she got started in cosplay and gaming during the panel discussion.
"Hopefully, I can inspire others who want to pursue the same track," she says.
She is famed for making her own cosplay costumes. She has cosplayed numerous characters from many video games including the fan favourite character D.Va from the popular first-person shooter game Overwatch.
"Growing up, I love to draw and make things. But I really learnt how to craft costumes from my friends," she says.
From her own experience, she feels that the toughest part of being a cosplayer is always thinking of something new, such as what new methods to apply to a certain costume or how to make something look real in the costume based on human physique.
Her advice to upcoming cosplayers is to start simple and pick games or characters they love.
"When you do something you love, it won't feel like work. And you would still enjoy what you do despite all the struggles," she says.
Apart from the panel discussion, there will be a fan meet-and-greet session on the same day, for fans who want to get a photo with Ms Gosiengfiao at the PVP Esports event.
Gaming fans can also look forward to some great e-sports action, with teams from Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Indonesia fighting for the top spot in the regional PVP Corporate League. Also happening is the PVP Campus League finals, which will see four teams from local tertiary institutions battle it out for $20,000 worth of cash and prizes.
For more information, go to pvpesports.gg
