An Analysis of Main Characters and Theme in Mouthwashing (2024) Video Game

Abstract

This study analyzes the 2024 psychological horror video game Mouthwashing, focusing on how the main characters, Jimmy and Curly, embody the central theme of irresponsibility. Using Edgar V. Roberts’ theory of characterization: what characters say, do, and what others say about them. This research applies a qualitative descriptive method and content analysis to explore how character traits, plot events, and setting elements construct the game’s moral narrative. The findings reveal that Jimmy is portrayed as an ambitious and delusional figure who avoids responsibility through manipulation and denial, while Curly is depicted as a well meaning but indecisive leader burdened by guilt and emotional paralysis. The theme of irresponsibility is reinforced through the game’s plot, which presents the gradual collapse of the crew due to failed leadership and moral confusion, and through its setting, a confined, decaying spaceship, which symbolizes psychological pressure, isolation, and the breakdown of order. These narrative elements together reveal how Mouthwashing critiques human failure in crisis. Ultimately, the study shows that video games can function as modern literary texts that explore ethical and psychological complexity through interactive storytelling.