Everything is Permitted: Redesigning Ezio from Assassin's Creed II as a Female Character

Presenter Information

Ashley Baker

Document Type

Oral Presentation

Campus where you would like to present

SURC Theatre

Start Date

21-5-2015

End Date

21-5-2015

Keywords

Costume, Video Games, History

Abstract

This project throws female archetypes in videogames away by turning one of the most popular male characters into a believable, playable female character. Fueled by research in history, costume design and construction, Ezio Auditore from Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: II is redesigned as Ezia Auditore. In this game, Ezio loses his brothers and father to a conspiracy against his family. In his acts of vengeance against his enemies, Ezio learns of the Assassin Order his father was secretly part of and their battle with the Templars. Research for this project breaks down into three parts: videogame, history, and costume. The videogame section looks into the world of the franchise. Who is Ezio? Who are the Assassins? What is his life like in Renaissance Italy? The history section focuses on the differences between the lives of men and women. What was the late 15th century like? What was life like for an Italian lady at this time? Lastly, the costume section looks specifically at how women presented themselves. What were women wearing? How did they style their hair? These pieces culminate into the final question: How will the implementation of research change Ezio, his costume, and how the game is played? Using this, Ezio turns into Ezia, a woman assassin of the Renaissance who enacts her vengeance while masquerading as a courtesan to get close to her enemies. She faces a loss in status with the loss of the men in her family, but a gain in independence as she finds freedom through the Assassins. Her costume design contains the original spirit of Ezio while embracing the fashion of Italian women in the late 15th century. The entire project culminates in a final realized costume that explores the character’s design, movement, and functionality

Faculty Mentor(s)

Ruthi Erdman, Mary Catherine McMillen

Department/Program

Theatre

Additional Mentoring Department

English

Additional Mentoring Department

Theatre

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May 21st, 9:40 AM May 21st, 10:00 AM

Everything is Permitted: Redesigning Ezio from Assassin's Creed II as a Female Character

SURC Theatre

This project throws female archetypes in videogames away by turning one of the most popular male characters into a believable, playable female character. Fueled by research in history, costume design and construction, Ezio Auditore from Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed: II is redesigned as Ezia Auditore. In this game, Ezio loses his brothers and father to a conspiracy against his family. In his acts of vengeance against his enemies, Ezio learns of the Assassin Order his father was secretly part of and their battle with the Templars. Research for this project breaks down into three parts: videogame, history, and costume. The videogame section looks into the world of the franchise. Who is Ezio? Who are the Assassins? What is his life like in Renaissance Italy? The history section focuses on the differences between the lives of men and women. What was the late 15th century like? What was life like for an Italian lady at this time? Lastly, the costume section looks specifically at how women presented themselves. What were women wearing? How did they style their hair? These pieces culminate into the final question: How will the implementation of research change Ezio, his costume, and how the game is played? Using this, Ezio turns into Ezia, a woman assassin of the Renaissance who enacts her vengeance while masquerading as a courtesan to get close to her enemies. She faces a loss in status with the loss of the men in her family, but a gain in independence as she finds freedom through the Assassins. Her costume design contains the original spirit of Ezio while embracing the fashion of Italian women in the late 15th century. The entire project culminates in a final realized costume that explores the character’s design, movement, and functionality