Where there’s a massive video gaming event, there’s cosplay, and the Intel Extreme Masters World Championship in Katowice was no exception.
We’ve assembled a photo gallery of some of the best shots our photographers managed to snap here. YouTuber Vizdu also made a great video of some of the cosplays, which you take a look at below.
Getting Jinxed
First-time cosplayer Madlencia’s amazing Jinx costume earned her praise on Reddit and beyond.
We got in touch with her after the tournament to find out more about her cosplay.
ESL: First thing’s first: how long did your costume take you to make?
Madlencia: I started making my costume in November 2013 and finished it in February 2014.
ESL: How much did all the materials cost?
Madlencia: The cost was actually... pretty huge. I can't really tell how much I spent on my cosplay, but it was definitely above 500PLN [around US$165].
ESL: Was it comfortable to wear all day?
Madlencia: It was comfortable, since it was only a bra and shorts 🙂 The worst part was actually carrying my weapons, since there were so many people in Spodek.
ESL: Is there anything about your costume you’d improve?
Madlencia: I need to redo Pow Pow (Jinx’s pink minigun) - I think it needs to be stiffer. And my white ears were destroyed completely, so this time I will make them using some fur maybe 😉
ESL: Do you think you share any personality traits with Jinx?
Madlencia: Of course I do, that's why I’m cosplaying her! She's a total weirdo, so am I. She likes teasing people, SO DO I. Well... should I even say that out loud? 🙂
ESL: Apart from Jinx, who’s your favorite video game character?
Madlencia: Favorite... hmmm. That's a kinda hard question. I think apart from Jinx, my favorite videogame character would be Freja - my monk from Diablo 3. I fell in love with Fem Monk and her mechanics since the release of D3 <3
ESL: Apart from League of Legends, what’s your favorite video game?
Madlencia: I also love... Crash Bandicoot! But I will never cosplay him 🙂
ESL: What was your favorite match at Intel Extreme Masters in Katowice?
Madlencia: I had no time to watch games, really. But if I had to choose: all games with Fnatic. They're my personal favorite team!
ESL: What was your favorite thing about Intel Extreme Masters in Katowice?
Madlencia: People. THERE WERE SO MANY OF THEM OMG. And they were supporting me so hard! Besides them, players. And commentators. Seeing them live was like dreams coming true for me!
ESL: What was your favorite cosplay that you saw at Intel Extreme Masters Katowice?
Madlencia: My fav cosplay was definitely Ahri. Her purple tails were ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. And she was a beautiful girl, too!
ESL: Any advice you’d give to people who are thinking about cosplaying for the first time but are either shy or worried they won’t make a very good costume?
Madlencia: Guys, if you want to cosplay - DO IT. TRY IT. And don't worry about hate and stuff like this - we, cosplayers are here to help you! Good luck everyone in your cosplay adventure, and wish me good luck, too, because I'm just starting!
Go here for a video of Madlencia in action, and be sure to drop by her Facebook page and show her some love.
The Intel Extreme Masters in Katowice 2014 cosplay competition
The last day of the tournament saw a cosplay competition organised by ESL Poland and ELO Hell and judged by the following prestigious panel of judges:
- Siv HD, professional streamer, YouTuber and gamer
- Jakub "Creaton" Grzegorzewski, ADC for Millenium
- Araneae Alvar, jungler for Millenium
- Hai Lam, team captain of Cloud 9 HyperX
First prize went to Aleksandra "Shappi" Tora, who’s been cosplaying since 2009. Check out a video of her amazing Kayle cosplay below!
ESL: How long did your costume take you to make?
Aleksandra: My costume took around three months of work. I decided that Kayle, as one of my most favorite champions, should be my long term costume project, and I dedicated my long, winter evenings to creating this cosplay.
ESL: How much did all the materials cost?
Aleksandra: I don't even wanna think about it, haha! 🙂 I guess it would cost around €300 [around US$412] for all materials.
ESL: Was it comfortable to wear all day?
Aleksandra: Actually, yeah! The only thing that was hard for me to cope with was the huge wings - I made two pairs of them, one big and one small, but still the crowd at IEM Katowice was so thick that I had a hard time moving around in corridors! Besides that, I made sure that my costume was strongly attached to my body - a cosplayer's worst nightmare is their costume falling apart!
ESL: Is there anything about your costume you’d improve?
Aleksandra: Overall, I am pretty happy with it! The only thing that was a problem was the bangs of my wig being too long - a few cuts with hairdresser’s scissors will do the job! 🙂
ESL: Do you think you share any personality traits with Kayle?
Aleksandra: Kayle is a very strong and brave champion! I love her bold spirit and that is one of the reasons I picked her 🙂 She is also a very strong mid laner, a role I often play as. However, I don't really identify with her relationship with with sister - at IEM my good friend Issabel cosplayed as Morgana and it was hard for us to play divided against each other! 🙂
ESL: Apart from Kayle, who’s your favorite video game character?
Aleksandra: I am huge fan of JRPGs! One of my oldest favorite characters is Lenneth from Valkyrie Profile - I grew up playing this game!
ESL: Apart from League of Legends, what’s your favorite video game?
Aleksandra: It would be hard to name one! 🙂 Odin Sphere, Valkyrie Profile, Muramasa, Pokemon, Legend of Zelda, series and many, many more!
ESL: What was your favorite match at Intel Extreme Masters in Katowice?
Aleksandra: KT Rolster Bullets vs. Gambit Gaming! I am HUGE fan of Gambit’s, and in this match they were brilliant - but both teams did their best. Even if I am sad that my team lost, I still admire the winners and their perfect base trade move!
ESL: What was your favorite thing about Intel Extreme Masters in Katowice?
Aleksandra: People and the great atmosphere. You could feel the love for eSports n the air! Also, being a cosplayer means walking around in uncomfortable costume - the people there were very kind and helpful to us! Everyone tried to let us pass, help with the doors and bring us water. I am amazed and grateful to those people! 🙂
ESL: What was your favorite cosplay that you saw at Intel Extreme Masters in Katowice?
Aleksandra: Again, hard to name one, haha! There were so many awesome costumes around - I am in love with all of them! Some of my favorites were Issabel’s Morgana, Sandygraphy's Leona and Purin's Jinx! These costumes were mind blowing!
ESL: Any advice you’d give to people who are thinking about cosplaying for the first time but are either shy or worried they won’t make a very good costume?
Aleksandra: You’ll definitely have fun! Cosplay is all about enjoying yourself and having a great time with your friends. It would be very hard to pull off a flawless costume on your first try but each new cosplay teaches us new lesson and you will get better in time! 🙂
We’d like to thank Madlencia and Aleksandra for taking the time to answer our interview questions as well as all the other amazing cosplayers who showed up at the Intel Extreme Masters in Katowice - you rock!
You can find more photos from Katowice and other events on the ESL Flickr page.
Thinking of turning up in cosplay to the next Intel Extreme Masters or even the ESL One in Frankfurt? Let us know who you plan to be in the comments below!
