Persona 5 Archives - Unwinnable

A screenshot of the trailer for Persona 5, showing a cell phone in a hand, the screen bearing a singular image of an eye with a star in the middle and many black lines blasting out from the center

Persona 5: Technology and The Body – Through The Looking Glass

By Jenny Zheng • February 27th, 2023

We should reject the desire for firm rules, singular stories.

A screenshot from the trailer of Psychonauts, featuring the lead psychic investigator getting close with a brain in a room wallpapered with blueprints

Three Paths Towards Approaching Mental Illness in Videogames

By Kurt Grunsky • January 6th, 2023

These games differ greatly in their approaches, but each provides its own alternative to the more common portrayals and could be said to focus more on the broader theme of “living with mental illness.”

a shot of Mae from the game Night in the Woods

Aimless Protagonists and Complicated Friendships: Videogame Perspectives on Delinquency

By Don Everhart • February 10th, 2021

Ringo Ishikawa and Mae Borowski portray different aspects of delinquency, while Persona 5 uses it only as it’s convenient for the plot and for game mechanics. Each game has a different perspective on relationships as a result.

Musings

The 120-Hour Goodbye

By Blake Hester • July 7th, 2020

Persona 5 Royal provided Blake an escape from quarantine. But even in imaginary worlds, all good things come to an end.

Musings

Persona 5 and the Eternal Classroom

By Blake Hester • May 6th, 2020

Persona 5 is a glorious reminder that even if high school sucked, being a kid kinda ruled.

A scene from Persona 5. A character named "Scruffy Romantic" says "we're the fashion police If you don't answer our questions, we'll take you away"

Microaggressions

By Jeremy Signor • July 24th, 2019

The more media takes little swipes at the core of who you are, the more you wonder if you should be consuming it in the first place.

Not Your Enemy – Family Dynamics and the Disappointing Adult in JRPGs

By Malindy Hetfeld • February 25th, 2019

Teens are ever-present in Japanese roleplaying games, yet it’s easy to forget that – cute character design and the technical limitations meant that characters could be anywhere from 13 to 113, yet when a game reminds you of its characters’ age, this should put their behaviour and situation in context.