Birmingham (that’s the city in England, not the Alabama one) went through the ultimate crossover episode two weeks ago when three conventions descended upon a single venue: DreamHack ventured across the channel for its UK debut, MegaCon returned for all things anime and pop culture, and bodybuilding show Arnold Sports Festival served as the unintentional oddball to complete the trinity.Character SelectWelcome to Character Select, a weekly column where PC Gamer takes a look at the art and cosplay created by you. Each week, I’ll highlight a few of my favourite pieces, spotlight and interview creators and artists, or generally just chew your ear off about the talents of the gaming community.Some very funny stuff came out of the three (well, two-and-a-quarter really—I assume the Venn diagram of DreamHack and MegaCon enjoyers has a decent overlap, nevermind the number of nerdy gym rats these days) worlds colliding. Gym bros and cutesy cosplayers collaborating for some good-natured videos poking fun at the very different vibes the conventions were exhibiting, like this one from @toothlessteddie on TikTok.Unfortunately, it was also a weekend mired by harassment of cosplayers in what can only be described as a regression to the stereotypical tactics deployed by high school teenagers. Disrupting videos and photos being taken by cosplayers; approaching and filming them without their consent, including asking uncomfortable questions for so-called content; and generally engaging in pettishly juvenile behaviour. Harassment of cosplayers is, unfortunately, not a new concept. “Cosplay is not consent” is a phrase that exists for…
