New Publication: The Egyptian World in Persona 5

Manchester Metropolitan Game Centre member, Jennifer Cromwell, has recently published research on the video game Persona 5 (Atlus and P Studio, 2016). The article explores the representation of the Ancient Egyptian world in the game and is available in the open access online journal, Thersites (Journal for Transcultural Presences and Diachronic Identities from Antiquity to Date).

From Pyramids to Obscure Gods

The Creation of an Egyptian World in Persona 5

Within Persona 5’s modern Tokyo setting, imagined worlds are created that represent the cognitive processes of various characters. These ‘palaces’ allow the player to explore locations far removed from the game’s real-world, contemporary backdrop. One episode creates an ancient Egyptian world. This article examines how this world has been produced and the different transmedial tropes and other influences that its developers have drawn upon. Many references are recognisable to a broad audience (pyramids, gods, hieroglyphs), while others reflect Japanese pop-cultural trends (in various manga and anime), including the mention of an obscure Egyptian god, Medjed. The intentionally fictitious nature of these ‘palaces’ means that the Egypt that appears in this game is not bound by the need to replicate an ‘accurate’ landscape. Instead, the developers were free to design a gamescape that combines multiple and diverse receptions of ancient Egypt.