We’re all familiar with cosplay – it’s the act of dressing up as your favourite fictional character, trying to match their appearance as closely as you can.

You then go off to conventions and expos and hang out with other cosplayers, and then people take photos of you and put it up on the Internet under “good cosplay” or “bad cosplay”.

But what if the game characters we so excitedly attempt to mimic…started mimicking us? *Cue creepy music*

You may scoff at the idea of fashion and gaming crossovers – but the concept is not as alien as it seems.

Final Fantasy XIII-2

In perhaps the most bizarre game-to-reality cross-over in recent memory, Square-Enix has lent out some of the cast from Final Fantasy XIII-2 to mens’ fashion magazine, Homme+, to show off the Prada Spring Men’s Collection.

We kid you not.

The April 12 issue of the magazine will feature Hope, Snow, Noel and Sazh showing off some high-fashion that plebs like myself wince at.

It doesn’t end there though, as FFXIII-2 has been playing the fashion parade through recent DLC packs as well – one of which included a wonderfully nonsensical bikini alternative outfit for Serah.

While high-fashion in Final Fantasy may seem a bit strange (and it kind of is) – it is by no means the first time real-world fashion and gaming worlds have collided.

The Sims

Some consider the Sims to be a glorified doll-house where you get to play dress-up with self-created characters; and then real-world fashion got involved to cement the idea.

Okay, this was always going to be too obvious – and the clothes featured in the game are already boring real-world clones.

Cue The Sims 2 H&M Stuff pack – an entire pack dedicated to stuff (read: real-world clothing ranges) from H&M apparel.

The Sims has always had a massive modding community that brings in real-life items; but not to miss out on people’s penchant for frivolous spending, H&M and other ‘lifestyle’ brands, like IKEA, have released ‘official’ branded goods for the games.

Spend real-life money for real-life fashion for your digital selves!

Devil May Cry 2

Similar to the Final Fantasy/Prada crossover, Capcom and Diesel struck a deal way back with Devil May Cry 2, where main protagonists, Dante and Lucia, were equipped with some stylish Diesel apparel.

Dante and Lucia were then used in promotional material in Diesel stores in Japan.

Why did the crossover happen? Apparently the tie-in made good marketing sense because of Devil May Cry’s focus on /stylish/ gameplay. Aside from that, there is little else linking the two.

If only Diesel had known that Devil May Cry 2’s dodgy camera angles and generally flat gameplay actually made it the worst game in the series.

Mass Effect 3

Okay, so it’s not technically a sanctioned tie-in with any leading fashion brand, but the in-game N7 hoodie available with the N7 Edition of Mass Effect 3 struck a chord with me.

It’s strange to see such a common, everyday piece of clothing being worn by the saviour of the galaxy and it almost…it almost makes you think YOU could save the galaxy.

Better yet, if you have loads of cash ($74, to be precise – excluding shipping) the N7 hoodie can actually BE yours. Right here, in real life.

Are games becoming digital catwalks? Or is this just a sign that games are becoming more relevant in different reaches of life? What are you wearing? Was that too creepy? Share your thoughts in the forums and the comments below.

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