Everything is Permitted: Redesigning Ezio from Assassin's Creed II as a Female Character
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
Recommended Citation
Baker, Ashley, "Everything is Permitted: Redesigning Ezio from Assassin's Creed II as a Female Character" (2015). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 16.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2015/oralpresentations/16
Department/Program
Theatre
Additional Mentoring Department
English
Additional Mentoring Department
Theatre
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
Faculty Mentor(s)
Ruthi Erdman, Mary Catherine McMillen