Danganronpa and the Roots of Despair: What the School Killing Life Can Teach Us about Despair as a Social Construct

Class is now in session! Today's topic? Why, despair, of course! This panel will explore how the video game Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc presents its core theme of despair. We'll examine how the concept of "despair" arose in Europe and Asia, how the game defines "despair," how we in the West might think of "despair" differently than the game's Japanese authors. Content notice: This panel discusses despair as a concept and may therefore branch into discussions of depression, self-harm, and suicide.