For each of us there is at least one great videogame we identify with on a personal level and see as an iconic figure for what storytelling in games should be. Often times I’ll read a review of a game which excels in graphics audio and gameplay only to have the reviewer spend most of their time nitpicking the story elements. And it seems, to me, that a lot of gamers confuse story with dialogue. One of the biggest complaints I’ve heard about Gears of War is its lack of story. Well that’s bullshit. In fact, it follows a very distinct pattern of storytelling as seen in movies such as Star Wars and The Matrix and even religious tales such as that of Jesus Christ.

The Hero’s Journey is a five-staged narrative which was first described by Joseph Campbell in his 1949 book “The Hero with a Thousand Faces”. The stages are as follows

1. A call to adventure, which the hero has to accept or decline
2. A road of trials, regarding which the hero succeeds or fails
3. Achieving the goal or "boon", which often results in important self-knowledge
4. A return to the ordinary world, again as to which the hero can succeed or fail
5. Applying the boon, in which what the hero has gained can be used to improve the world
PART ONE: A Call to Adventure:

In most stories the protagonist starts off in their own world, living out life as they had been prior to being asked to become a hero. Luke Skywalker is living with his aunt and uncle, farming shit on a desert planet. Marcus Pheonix is a prisoner in the middle of an apocalypse, wasting away the rest of his time in a jail cell. Princess Leia’s message for help, Neo being told to “follow the white rabbit”, these are classic examples of a call to adventure. In Metal Gear solid the retired soldier Solid Snake is called by his former superior to save the world from a nuclear threat. In Portal the player character Chell is awoken by GLaDOS and told to perform experiments in order to escape the test chamber. The call can be internal even as Link experiences upon seeing how Gannondorf’s minions have plagued the land of Hyrule.

This call reveals something to the hero, an entire new and extraordinary world. Sometimes it’s as subtle as Marcus Phoenix leaving imprisonment to pick up arms and fight amongst the same ruins he’s been surrounded by for years, but it might go as far as being an entire different universe with new rules of time space and physics such as that seen in Viewtiful Joe.

In some stories, often trying to make the hero more relatable, the call to action is declined. Usually the hero suffers because of this. Peter Parker’s refusal to use his powers for good leads to the death of his uncle for example. This is perhaps the least seen part of the hero’s journey in videogames simply because of most players gung-ho attitude.

Supernatural aid is given to the hero upon accepting the challenge. Obi-wan rescues Luke from the sand-people, Trinity pulls the bug from Neo’s chest, The Wanderer in Shadow of the Colossus is given a sword by an omnipotent voice. This “supernatural” aid doesn’t always have to be so surreal though, it can be something as simple as getting guided through the radio in Bioshock.

Then comes an important moment in any story, the crossing of the first threshold, when the character takes their first step into the new world. Without this moment there would be no game. Mario would return to de-clogging toilets. The president wouldn’t be rescued from Ninjas. Samus Aran would just go home. These are often the moment that the opening cinematic stops on. The second solid snake emerges from the water and into the presence of the first couple guards he reaches a point at which he cannot return. There’s no snapping necks and chickening out.

This is only part one of what I’m hoping to turn into a five part feature. Feel free to discuss which games you feel have great calls to action and as always STFUJPG.